WASTE MANAGEMENT
ublic and media interest in how for senior management to make and will
P
organisations handle their vary for each organisation. Management
confidential data has never been must think about what information could
higher. A lowly HM Revenue & cause significant harm should it escape
Customs mailing clerk’s decision into the public domain, or indeed more
to send some CD’s in the post, resulted in widely within the organisation (staff
parliamentary questions to the Prime salaries, senior management meeting
Minister, a police investigation and the minutes and so on).
resignation of Sir Paul Gray, head of the Once guidelines have been drawn up
70,000 staff organisation. and approved by senior management they
CONFIDENTIAL
PAPER DISPOSAL - STILL
BLOWING IN THE WIND?
Bill Swan, Director, Paper Round
Surely every Chief Executive and
Managing Director has launched an must be clearly communicated to staff and joined Paper Round in 2005 because its
urgent enquiry into how their organisation the necessary infrastructure put in place. client Ofcom needed a reliable recycling
is handling and disposing of its This will normally comprise security bins and secure shredding provider.
confidential data and papers? Not if our and a contract to service those bins. Ofcom is the independent regulator
experience at Paper Round, a leading and competition authority for the UK
security shredding company is anything to SECURITY BINS communications industries, with
go by. We regularly meet facilities Security bins must be lockable and responsibilities across television, radio,
managers to discuss their security clearly identified. They should be placed in telecommunications and wireless
shredding requirements. One of the first areas as identified by the organisation’s communications services. Much of its
questions asked is what is their company’s Confidential Waste Disposal Guidelines. communication is highly sensitive and so
policy on document retention and For instance, the Guidelines may state that they needed strict policy on confidential
disposal, and what paper do they view as all paper from the Personnel and Legal waste destruction to help staff identify what
confidential and non-confidential. Time Departments is to be regarded as needed to be securely shredded and avoid
and time again we find that companies confidential. Care should be taken over sensitive material getting into the wrong
have no formal policy, leaving facilities the number of security bins provided. Staff hands.
managers to struggle to put something will generally not walk very far to dispose Facilities staff distribute Paper Round’s
sensible in place. of waste paper and insufficient bins will security sacks to its staff, who then seal
Virtually all companies dispose of jeopardise the operation of the them with tamper-proof tags when full. The
large quantities of waste paper and Guidelines. sealed bags are then securely locked in a
magnetic media, that comprise of designated room ready for collection. They
correspondence, plans, figures or IN-HOUSE SHREDDING also have locked wheeled bins for
formulae that may be confidential or Organisations can choose between confidential waste on each floor. Paper
secret. It has never been more important shredding paper in-house or using an Round makes collections on a weekly
for senior management to specify how it external contractor. It is important when basis. Vehicles are equipped with satellite
wants this material to be handled. comparing the costs of these options to tracking systems to ensure their safe
The first step for any organisation is to ensure that the cost of in-house staff time delivery at the secure shredding site.
draw up internal guidelines for all staff in shredding paper is taken into account. Ofcom then receives monthly certificates of
that clearly identify what material is to be When choosing a shredder, pay particular destruction confirming the secure
regarded as confidential. This decision is attention to the anticipated volumes. An shredding of all the materials collected.
under-sized shredder will be inefficient In 2007 Paper Round collected almost
and frustrating for staff to use. 20,000 kilos of confidential waste from
Consideration must also be made for the Ofcom, amounting to more than half of all
disposal of the resulting volumes of its waste paper. Facilities Manager Sue Lee
shredded paper. Recycling and waste said, “It is essential to have a clear policy
disposal companies will levy a charge for for staff in place and a reliable service
its disposal. provider for our convenience and complete
peace of mind. Helping our clients operate
RELIABLE SERVICE in a more environmentally friendly way is
Facilities management company also a top priority for us. We use Paper
Dalkia provides a range of services and Round because we know the paper is
also helps companies reduce energy being recycled once it has been shredded
consumption and operate in a more and so helps to reduce Ofcom’s carbon
environmentally sustainable way. Dalkia footprint.” www.paper-round.co.uk
40|
SUSTAINABLE FM | APRIL 2008
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