Shredding

About Shredding

Review the CRS before destroying any records. Record destruction should be a routine business practice following guidance from the CRS and the Office of Special Collections and Records Management. Records should be destroyed only after the documents have been retained as listed in the CRS, upon completing a Records Destruction Form signed by Records Management personnel and gathering the necessary approvals. Records marked as "destroy" in the CRS that include confidential information can be destroyed using the secure shredding gray bins on campus. Only shred those items that contain confidential information. See these steps for guidance in properly destroying records.

For additional information about shredding, contact the University Operations Business Service Center at EXT 2500.

Secure Shredding

Records containing private or confidential information (personal identifiers, credit card numbers, social security numbers, student academic information, financial information) must be securely shredded. An office may elect to shred materials that have passed their retention state or have the records picked up. If a large volume of records require secure destruction, Facilities Management personnel can pick up the materials to be shredded or provide locked bins for the purpose of secure shredding.

Secure shredding is provided by Western Records Destruction, a NAID certified destruction company that specializes in the destruction of confidential records. The secure bins are picked up to be destroyed every other week. When depositing records in secure bins, you do not need to remove paper clips, staples, etc. Do remove larger metal fasteners like binder clips and metal binders.

CONTACT
For secure shredding and additional information, contact the Facilities Management Service Center at EXT 2500. Contact the Service Center to create a work order for pick-up or drop-off of shred bins.

Electronic Records

Electronic records should follow these guidelines generally. Electronic records are considered destroyed when a definitive obliteration beyond any possible reconstitution is performed. This may include physical means or electronic means:

Magnetic Media: Reformatting, degaussing (subjecting the item to a strong magnetic field), or pulverizing
Optical media: cutting, crushing, or other physical means of destruction. Rewritable media should be reformatted.

What should be shredded and what should be recycled?

Shred records with the confidential information (if in doubt, shred it):

Recycle records with non-confidential information:

Records with I-numbers, Social Security numbers, etc.

White paper (blank, written, printed, etc.)

Personnel records

White paper (crumpled as well as flat)

Confidential letters and memos

Colored paper

Medical Information

Newspapers

Test/exam materials

Magazines

Financial information: bank/credit card statements, payroll information, tax information, etc.

Paper airplanes