1. Why do I need to shred?
2. What kind of documentation would you recommend shredding?
3. Why shred at my place of business?
4. How do we identify your employees and what are their qualifications?
5. Why can't I just burn my documents?
6. What legal responsibilities do I have for my discarded materials?
7. What area does Norfolk Disposal Shredding service?
8. Why use a shredding service when I can shred myself?
9. What do you do with your shredded materials?
10. What type of materials are your shredding machines capable of destroying?
11. Do we have to remove paper clips and staples?
12. Are you bonded?
13. Do you require a contract?
14. We have a small organization and only occasionally need to shred documents, will you be too expensive for us?
15. Do you provide a Certification of Destruction?
16. How long do you suggest we keep our documents/information?
17. Can you provide us with a quote before shredding?
18. We are about to move. Should we also move any old and outdated files?
19. What about material that is bound in three-ring binders?
20. Do we have to pay for the key-locked security bins?
21. How much paper do our containers hold?
22. If you take our documents to your facility, how do we know they’re shredded?
23. Can you service multi branch locations?
24. How do you monitor service levels for customers?
25. What is your insurance coverage?
26. How often do you visit us to shred?
27. Can you help us determine all our shredding requirements?
28. How do we estimate how much we have?
29. How big is a bankers box?
30. What if our containers are full and we need service between visits?
1. Why do I need to shred?
There are four major reasons for destroying documents.
- Law: There is legislation in Canada that requires the destruction of personal and confidential information. It is an individuals responsibility to understand this legislation and how it applies to you. If the information is no longer necessary, it must be destroyed.
- Convenience: Most businesses find it inconvenient to try to dispose of personal and confidential information themselves either by using a small office shredder that is noisy, dusty and time consuming for staff. Destruction by other means is not usually an option for most businesses.
- Cost savings: Using a small office shredder is a limited option. Most business cannot afford to pay staff for the time it takes to shred materials. Although the cost of most office shredders is not prohibitive our service will save you money.
- Environmentally friendly: Our shredded materials are all recycled or reused where possible, all paper products are hydro pulped, removing the ink, then recycled into new products.
2. What kind of documentation would you recommend shredding?
Records that need secure destruction should include:
| Medical Records Bank Statements Negotiable Documents Customer Mailing & Prospect Lists Accounting Records Financial Reports Payroll Records Sales Forecasts Accounting Records Personnel Records Social Security Numbers Inventory Reports Cancelled Cheques Credit Cards Contracts Legal Signatures Research & Development Data |
Obsolete Forms & Innaccurate Data Microfiche & Microfilm Blueprints Business Plans Confidential Letters & Memos Meeting Notes Budget Data Bids & Quotations Engineering Drawings Tax Records Production Reports Copy Machine Rejects / Excess Expense Reports Fax Machine Rolls Daily Correspondence Anything personally identifiable And more... |
3. Why shred at my place of business?
The decision to have materials destroyed at your location or our facility is completely yours. There are advantages to each service. When done on-site at your place, you are able to witness the entire destruction process and know for certain that materials are destroyed before we leave. Having the destruction completed at our facility is less disruptive to your normal business operations; we can load quickly, and there is no loud equipment, nor technicians traveling back and forth for a significant period of time. Your particular circumstances and preferences will dictate which service suits you best. If unsure which is better for you, we can certainly help provide advice. The most important aspect is that the service provider chosen has achieved AAA Certification for the service to be provided. Norfolk Disposal Shredding is Certified for both on-site mobile and plant based destruction services.
4. How do we identify your employees and what are their qualifications?
All technicians of Norfolk Disposal Shredding must;
- have a thorough background check,
- have an annual police clearance,
- pass our technician testing,
- comply with our strict technician policies and procedures,
- comply with our confidentiality agreement,
- wear the company uniform while on duty,
- display the company photo id badge while on duty,
- and comply with the NAID Code of Ethics.
5. Why can't I just burn my documents?
Incineration is definitely an option for destroying information. However, experience has shown that burning;
- Requires transporting your materials (is this done securely?)
- Needs a proper location that allows burning or an incineration facility (costly and maybe not secure)
- Requires patience and direct supervision for security
- Undertaken by an individual, it is usually very time consuming
- Can be dangerous
- In inclement weather, especially windy conditions, could easily cause a loss of documents
- Is not environmentally friendly
- Will you have auditable paper trail to prove the documents were destroyed?
6. What legal responsibilities do I have for my discarded materials?
There are both Federal and Provincial laws that govern the use, disclosure and destruction of private and confidential materials that could allow the identification of individuals.
These include:
- the Freedom of Information and Personal Privacy Act
- the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act
- the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004
- the Municipal Freedom of Information and Personal Privacy Act
This is the current legislation that affects you and there will be more enacted in the future. Stiffer penalties and increased notification requirements are expected.
7. What area does Norfolk Disposal Shredding service?
Norfolk Disposal Shredding serves clients throughout South Central Ontario. Please refer to our service area map, click on the "Contact Us Today" button, or phone us if you have specific questions about your service needs.
8. Why use a shredding service when I can shred myself?
Anyone who purchases an office shredder can do their own shredding. Shredding internally is far more expensive than contracting an outside source for the average business. In most cases doing the shredding yourself will be time consuming, inefficient, and adds significant dust or allergens to the business environment. It is generally noisy and disruptive and not cost effective. As well, there is a significant loss of office staff productivity and a decrease in moral while shredding.
A better quality office shredder purchased by small businesses will cost between $1500 and $2500. Many of the lower priced shredders are limited in the amount of material they can shred and they overheat quickly. Therefore, they rarely exceed their warranty periods when used frequently. We have examined a number of current shredders on the market in the above noted price range and compared their costs for shredding documents using the shredder cost, specifications of the manufacturer and typical business labour costs versus our rates.
Based on a comparison of 50 bankers boxes of material to shred Norfolk Disposal Shredding can typically save your business 30% - 50% minimum by undertaking the shredding for you. (note: this calculation did not even include the lost productivity of the staff member who was taken from their normal duties to do this tedious unchallenging task, nor does it take into consideration that the employee should not be viewing some of the documents they are destroying).
9. What do you do with your shredded materials?
All of our shredded materials are disposed of in the most suitable and environmentally friendly way. Our shredded office paper is hydro pulped removing all inks recycled into new paper products. We also endeavor to recycle all other materials where possible; cardboard, metal, plastics, wood, and concrete. Our recycling program through Norfolk Disposal is quite extensive.
10. What type of materials are your shredding machines capable of destroying?
Our shredding machines are capable of destroying:
| Paper Film CDs / DVDs Cassettes Diskettes VHS Tapes |
X ray Plastics Uniforms Stuffed animals Hard Drives Packaging |
11. Do we have to remove paperclips and staples?
No, our machines readily destroy paperclips, staples, spiral bindings, and alligator clips in the normal course of operation.
12. Are you bonded?
The simple answer is "yes".
BUT is this the right question? There are many types of bonding. Almost all provide no protection for you, the client, in the situations that you wish protection. And the bonding that does provide some coverage may have a very small limit, may have a conviction clause, may only pertain to tangible property, etc.
Thus, bonding is not generally the right solution. NAID AAA Certification, Errors and Omissions Insurance that covers employee dishonesty, and general liability insurance will provide you the protection you seek. Norfolk Disposal Shredding has all three for your protection.
13. Do you require a contract?
No! Norfolk Disposal Shredding does not require clients to enter into contacts that establish a required period of tenure without cancellation options, nor do we insist on regularly, structured pick-up programs that our clients can not alter. However, the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) strongly recommends that everyone have a contract containing very specific provisions with their service provider. For this reason, Norfolk Disposal Shredding has available an agreement for clients that complies with every recommendation of the IPC. This agreement locks in Norfolk Disposal Shredding's commitments and rates, and only requires in return, common sense from the client (for example, no hazardous materials). For your protection, this agreement is designed to comply with the best practices as outlines by the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. It also provides our clients the opportunity to change, or cancel any part of our service without penalty at your discretion. You can cancel the contract at any point should you so choose. We believe that we are in business to suit our client's needs.
14. We have a small organization and only occasionally need to shred documents, will you be too expensive for us?
No! If you only have a few boxes to shred, we have three possible options for you;
a)We can provide our mobile on-site service for a minimum fee which includes the destruction of the first 10 bankers boxes (or equivalent) of documents Contact Us for a Free Quote
b)We have arrangements with numerous reliable businesses to act as drop off locations, where you deliver your materials to be shredded
c)You can drop off your materials for destruction directly at our destruction facility in Waterford, Ontario.
15. Do you provide a Certification of Destruction?
Yes! Virtually every shredding company gives their customers Certificates of Destruction. You should always ask a prospective shredding company exactly what the Certificate represents, as it may be meaningless without the proper information recorded.
At Norfolk Disposal Shredding, our Certificate of Destruction establishes the following:
- A unique, serialized transaction number that you can use in an audit trail
- Transfer of Custody that establishes the client's turning over of materials for destruction at a specific location and date.
- A reference to the terms and conditions, or the policies and procedures of the client and company for the processing of materials.
- Acceptance of fiduciary responsibility whereby the company's agent accepts responsibility and agrees that all materials accepted are considered confidential and are to be treated as such (can refer to the terms and conditions of a service agreement)
- Date the information was collected and the date the information ceased to exist.
- The location of the destruction of the documents
- The witness to the destruction
Our certificate ensures complete, secure, destruction of your documents and is NAID AAA Certification and IPC recommendation compliant.
16. How long do you suggest we keep our documents/information?
The amount of time that you are required to retain your records will depend upon the type of business which you operate, the type of document, and legislative requirements. Many business and professions have industry-specific requirements so it is best to consult your attorney, accountant and retention planning specialist with regard to the legislative or professional requirements of your field. Norfolk Disposal Shredding can help you determine your destruction schedules and storage requirements. We will examine your existing operation, your storage and shredding needs and devise a plan with you that helps you ensure all aspects of file handling, file transportation, storage and destruction are addressed appropriately.
17. Can you provide us with a quote before shredding?
Yes! If you know the amount of material when you call us, we can generally estimate what the costs will be. If you can't accurately give us the information, we will provide you with a guaranteed shredding rate by the banker's box or equivalent. If you require a firm quote on a large amount of material we will visit your place of business and provide you with a free quotation on our services. Please contact us now for a price.
18. We are about to move. Should we also move any old and outdated files?
To save time and money old, outdated files should be destroyed (purged) prior to your move at your existing place of business.
19. What about material that is bound in three-ring binders?
You can give us any materials bound in three ring binders. However you will save some money (if your time is not an issue) if you remove the paper from the binders. We add a small fee to compensate for the extra time needed where binders are included. Although our machines are capable of destroying the metal bindings, it is our preference that we not shred metal in order to help prolong the life of our equipment.
20. Do we have to pay for the key-locked security containers?
The secure containers are provided free of charge provided that service is scheduled at least every twelve weeks.
21. How much paper do our containers hold?
Each of our containers holds a varying amount of material. The amount each holds is generally described in the containers section of the website. The amount of material that a container can hold is not only based on the expected weight given by the manufacturer, but by the type of material put in the container and the degree of packing.
22. If you take our documents to your facility, how do we know they’re shredded?
If you decide that you want your materials shredded off-site at our destruction facility, Norfolk Disposal Shredding is NAID AAA Certified for plant based destruction. This means that we meet the most stringent regulations in the industry. A security audit has been conducted to ensure our compliance with these standards, and our facility is subject to random, unannounced security audits at any time. Furthermore, our policies ensure that your material will be securely destroyed. Norfolk Disposal Shredding processes require that:
- All staff handling your materials meet specific standards and have had thorough background and police checks,
- All documents transported must be in a secured vehicle driven by a qualified, insured driver,
- All documents must be secured in our locked facility accessible only to and handled by approved staff while awaiting destruction,
- Documents must be destroyed only by approved employees,
- An auditable paper trail of the process is prepared, and
- A signed Certificate of Destruction must be forwarded to the client upon destruction of the materials
23. Can you service multi branch locations?
Within our service area we can work with businesses to establish schedules required to meet the requirements of those businesses that operate with branches in multiple locations.
24. How do you monitor service levels for customers?
We continually monitor your shredding requirements through our proprietary Usage Monitoring System. This allows us to suggest changes to your schedule, level of service, or use of containers that will result in cost savings for you and service efficiency for us. Norfolk Disposal Shredding firmly believes that it is in our best interest to save you money through the most efficient use of our services. We wish to build solid, long term relationships with our clients built upon trust. For this to happen, you need to know that we are looking out for your best interests, although it may reduce our revenues today. Should you wish a review of your usage of our prior services, you may call us at any time and ask us to provide you our Usage Monitoring Report and recommendations.
25. What is your insurance coverage?
This matter was discussed under bonding but we want to reiterate that our coverage is not only liability and theft, but also includes errors and omissions, and commercial general liability insurance.
26. How often do you visit us to shred?
We do not insist via a contract on regular scheduled services if you do not need them. Initially we will discuss with you a suggested program based on your anticipated needs, or you can simply call us when you need service. Once you have been a regular client for a time, our computerized monitoring service will help us customize a service specific to your individual needs.
27. Can you help us determine all our shredding requirements?
Yes! Norfolk Disposal Shredding provides services that can aid our clients in planning their shredding program, container services, retention, storage, and transportation.
28. How do we estimate how much we have?
Estimating the quantity of documents for destruction can be a tricky exercise. Our experience has shown that by quoting all services in a bankers box equivalent is the best method for most clients to determine how much they have. It is far easier to visualize a number of bankers boxes than to guess at a weight. However, not everyone stores their materials in bankers boxes. And even when you do store them in bankers boxes, there are many different methods the boxes can be stored. This may present quite a challenge to estimate the quantity with any degree of accuracy. However, we will do our very best to help you with this exercise given our experience. Please feel free to take a couple pictures and send them to us at info@norfolkdisposalshredding.ca for our assistance. If you have the materials stored in alternative containers, please do email or call us and we can convert the materials to a bankers box equivalent for you. If the work to be done is quite large, we can send a staff member to do a more accurate estimate for you.
29. How big is a bankers box?
A bankers box or file box has the standard dimensions of 12" wide x 15" long x 10" high or 30.5cm x 38.1cm x 25.4cm. There are larger bankers files and storage boxes but these dimensions are the most common, most readily accepted, and the size we use when estimating document destruction.
30. What if our containers are full and we need service between visits?
Contact us and we will make every attempt to accommodate your request. We do not limit visits to a specific contracted schedule. Norfolk Disposal Shredding works with our clientele to provide the best possible service for your specific needs.
