Shredding in-house vs Outsourced Shredding
If you’re considering moving your in-house shredding to a outsourced shredding service, then great news!
There are so many benefits to making the switch. We give you the run down of just a few of the plus points you’ll enjoy by using a secure outsourced shredding service.
Sorting
No need to waste valuable employee time removing staples, paperclips or foolscap folders. Simple throw everything into your lockable console or shredding sack and we’ll do the rest! Our industrial shredders cope with paperclips with no hassle, and your staff save time to concentrate on vital business tasks instead.
Maintenance
If you own an office shredder, you may find that occasionally it breaks down. Shredding machines need blades oiling to keep them running smoothly. They also need servicing regularly as well as an employee to manage emptying and disposing of the waste. The blades have a limited capacity and lifetime. With an outsourced shredding service, all this hassle is removed. The shredding company maintain their own machinery as well as disposing of all the waste paper for recycling.
Paper Trail
To comply with GDPR your business must ensure that that all documentation that is destroyed is traceable. In-house shredding does not give you that reassurance as it’s not possible to monitor and document where, when and how it was destroyed. With a secure outsourced shredding service, you have the option to request a Certificate of Destruction which details the date the waste was removed, time shredded and proof that the material has been destroyed by a registered waste carrier. This documentation could prove vital for your compliance with data protection.
Time
Many businesses find it’s simply illogical to have their staff sat beside an office shredder feeding 5 pieces of paper into the machine at a time. One of the main reasons for choosing to outsource shredding is to save employee time. If employees know that they can simply post their old documents into a lockable console it rules out the possibility of documents being left lying around the office.
Cost
Upfront cost of purchase, servicing and maintenance of the machine can add up, plus calculating the cost of staff time spent standing over the shredder. It works out far more cost effective in the long run to hire a professional company to visit on a regular basis to shred all your material.
Responsibility
Documentation piled up waiting to be shredded poses a risk of a data breach. If that breach occurs, your business could be liable for a fine under GDPR. When you use a shredding company, all your old documents are stored in a locked console, only opened by the shredding company. With on-site shredding, your documents are shredded at your work premises. Responsibility is shifted and you can be confident that your shredding company is enabling you to fully comply with all data protection regulations.
Privacy
Handing over all your confidential company information to a member of staff could pose a security risk. A greater level of privacy is granted by using an outsourced shredding service. Staff simple empty a locked console and feed the shredding bag inside directly into the mobile shredding truck. They have no access to the material. Even with off-site shredding, staff secure a shredding sack with a cable tie the then everything is emptied into the industrial shredders at the depot. As all staff are vetted and trained so the risk of an internal data breach is eradicated.
Disposal
With an office shredder, what do you do with the pieces of shredded paper? Often shredded paper cannot be recycled with standard paper or cardboard recycling as the fibres are too small and become caught in the recycling machines. With a professional outsourced shredding service, all shredded paper is baled on a huge scale and sent direct to a paper mill do be dealt with more efficiently. You can be positive that all your confidential material has been destroyed as well as recycled.
Ready to make the switch to outsourced shredding? Talk to the national experts at The Shredding Alliance for a competitive quote.