Safeguarding Sensitive Data: The Vital Role of Confidential Waste Recycling
Zest Recycle
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With the cost of identity fraud at nearly £2 billion each year, it’s crucial all organisations prioritise confidential waste recycling.
In fact, data breaches affect around 90% of large and 75% of small UK businesses every year. While lots of these will be online breaches and hacks, about one in five data breaches involve paper records. And despite the move online, the paper equivalent of around 700,000 trees is recycled every year in the UK via documents sent to confidential waste shredding.
What is confidential waste?
All businesses deal with confidential documents. Some examples of the main types of confidential waste are:
- Personal files – CVs, application letters, business cards, and ID badges
- Financial data – Invoices, order forms, bills, financial statements and personal bank information
- Health records – Official healthcare records and notes by medical professionals
- Social care records – Letters, sports and photographs
- Criminal records – Obtained from legal authorities and law firms
- Business files – New business proposals, business plans, contracts and product samples or profiles
Stay compliant by disposing of your confidential waste correctly
With the Data Protection Act 2018, all personal data a business stores must be kept secure and disposed of correctly to ensure any confidential information is not accessible to others. Organisations face immense fines and could lead to prison time if they do not implement an efficient confidential waste disposal system.
That’s before you consider the negative publicity which will no doubt follow.
How Zest Recycle can handle your confidential waste
The safest and most secure way to handle confidential waste is to use an approved supplier. Ensure they meet the relevant standards of accreditation and approval, such as EN 15713. All our security shredding supply chain partners are vetted to the highest standards, giving you complete peace of mind when you choose Zest Recycle as your waste management partner.
We can offer on-site secure solutions to carry out shredding under client observation. Or we can provide off-site shredding with full supply of the appropriate secure shredding bags or consoles and a collection schedule which suits your business. All paper is recycled (with potential closed loop opportunities) and all confidential waste is handled in line with the waste hierarchy, meaning we aim to recycle as much confidential waste as possible.
Talk to the Zest Recycle team
As experts in recycling and waste management, you can trust our team to effectively dispose of your confidential waste aligning with laws and regulations, so you stay compliant.
StartFresh and talk to us today about your waste management requirements.
If you need our support or advice on any recycling and waste management initiatives, we’re just a phone call away. Contact us here.
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