Confidential waste like documents, bank statements and even books are just some of the 12 million tonnes of paper we get through in the UK each year. The challenge with shredding paper is doing it securely and making sure it gets recycled, which helps to reduce carbon emissions by as much as 20% versus incinerating.
In this guide, we’ll take you through five common questions around how to dispose of confidential waste, and share our advice to help you protect your data and our environment.
1. What Is Considered Confidential Waste?
Confidential waste mainly consists of documents containing confidential personal or business information. These can include:
- Bank account details
- Contracts
- Health records
- Tax information
Depending on your work, confidential waste can come in different forms. For example, it might also include hard drives or entire books in the case of the publishing industry.
If you’ve gathered a lot of confidential waste you need to dispose of, you’ll likely know that this has to be done correctly and in compliance with UK law, including General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) legislation.
Disposing of your confidential waste securely gives you peace of mind and helps you mitigate the risks of:
- Security breaches
- Identity theft and fraud
- Reputational damage
- Legal disputes
- Fines
2. Who Collects Confidential Waste?
The most secure and eco-friendly way to get rid of confidential waste is by using a dedicated shredding service. If your storage is overflowing with outdated documents, you might be surprised at how quickly a service like this can free up space!
Confidential shredding services will guarantee your waste is destroyed in a compliant, safe and secure way. You can arrange these services as a one-off or on a regular basis with secure, lockable bins provided for your office.
When it comes to choosing a shredding service, we recommend looking for providers with:
- Security vetted staff who can provide picture identification
- British Security Industry Association membership
- Compliance with the BS EN 15713:2023 code of practice
- CCTV monitoring of shredding facilities, whether on or off-site
- A certificate of destruction supplied for your shredding
If you’re ready to dispose of confidential waste, we can help with secure and safe shredding. Learn more about our confidential shredding service here.
3. What Happens to Confidential Waste Bins?
When it’s time for collection, the materials in your confidential waste bins can be shredded on or off-site.
On-Site Mobile Shredding
Some businesses and individuals will opt for on-site mobile shredding, which means you get to witness the destruction of your confidential waste in person. This can be a sensible option, particularly when your waste is highly sensitive.
Mobile shredding happens in a specialised truck and is quick and efficient, with 2-4 tons of paper shredded per hour. Trucks will have CCTV for extra security and can store over 10 tons of shredded material, roughly equivalent to the size of an African bush elephant!
Off-Site Shredding
If you opt for off-site shredding, your paper will be taken to a secure shredding facility with machinery able to shred 12-15 tons per hour. Shredding facilities also give you the added option of having your paper shredded extra thin for security – into strips of 5mm compared to the average 30mm.
A common misconception is that shredding is just for paper. Both on and off-site shredding machinery is actually able to handle files, cardboard and hard drives too, saving you the need to sort through boxes of documents.
4. Can You Recycle Shredded Confidential Waste?
According to the BBC, for every ton of shredded paper we can recycle, we save an amazing:
- 17 trees
- 1,727 litres of oil
- 2.29 cubic metres of landfill space
- 4,000 kilowatts of energy
- 31,822 litres of water
That’s why recycling confidential waste is essential for our environment, particularly if you have large volumes.
People often ask whether you can recycle shredded paper because not all councils are able to collect it. This is because they don’t have specialised machinery, and shredded paper can clog it or blow away during sorting.
Protecting the environment is at the heart of what we do, and we send all our shredded paper to accredited paper mills for recycling into paper-based products. You can learn more about our recycling processes here.
Disposing of Shredded Paper at Home
If you’re wondering how to dispose of your shredded paper at home, paper merchants like us can collect your paper for recycling if it’s in a large enough volume.
For smaller volumes, though, you can check if your council offers shredded paper recycling. If this isn’t available, a few options are to:
- Reuse your paper as packing filler for parcels
- Reuse it as animal bedding where appropriate
- Add it to your compost as carbon-rich brown material
- As a last resort, put it in your ordinary bin
5. How Much Does Confidential Waste Shredding Cost?
The cost of shredding confidential waste depends on the volume of material, time taken and whether you want the shredding to happen on or off-site. As a rule of thumb, off-site shredding is more economical, as is organising regular shredding over a one-off service.
How much your shredding will cost will depend on your requirements, but can range from £45 for regular off-site shredding to £125 for on-site mobile shredding.
Disposing of Confidential Waste With Confidence
If you’re ready to get rid of confidential waste in a way that’s equally secure and sustainable, we hope our guide has helped you understand how to do it.
Recycling your shredded waste not only clears up space and protects you and your business from risk; it’s also the right thing to do when it comes to protecting the environment.
For businesses and homes across the UK, we can help you take care of your confidential waste with compliant, safe and secure shredding. Find out more about our confidential waste shredding service here, or get in touch with our South Wales-based team for a quick quote.