We just posted that Shred Works won recognition for their recycling efforts. The important thing to remember is they are a shredding service with a primary focus of document security. Recycling is a great benefit of their process but not the primary one. A recycler should never be confused with a shredder. The documents are handled very differently.
The prime example is TransLink. They had a fare increase and needed to shred all of their old tickets. The tickets are a negotiable instrument. They could be considered a cash equivalent. Negotiable instruments should always be shredded in front of a witness of the company. Most commonly this is done with mobile shredding. However, it could also be done by sending a representative to the shredding plant. The reason is simple, this is the exact information the entices people to do the wrong thing and pocket it.
TransLink didn’t even use an off-site shredding company. They opted for a recycler. A recycler will destroy the material but does not have the security measures in place that a shredder will. These include cameras, background checked employees, and secure facilities. They ofton let workers handle the documents. Always make sure that your documents are not sorted by anyone. They should be “blind shredded.” This is feeding the files into the shredder without coming into physical contact with a person.
TransLink sent 30 pallets of tickets worth $20 million off to the recycler. Some were taken and not shredded. Now an an estimated $153,000 worth of tickets are on the black market.
So the lessons we can learn from TransLink are basic. Recycling is not shredding. Never call a recycler to do a shredders job. If you are working with negotiable instruments you must witness the shredding. This can be done with on-site or off-site shredding but the later requires you to travel to a plant. And never work with any company that employs a “sorter.”