Cumbria Shredding Service - how does it work ?
The Shredding Process
Whether we describe this process in 3 steps or 10, it’s the same process!
Designed to follow the British Standard EN 15713:2009
Deciding which documents to shred is the first important step.
We recommend that you get advice from your professional advisers, accountants, solicitors, professional bodies etc.
Although many people may assume that it’s just 6 years plus current, whilst that may apply to some invoices, it can vary dramatically for certain industries and document types.
For example, you will probably be advised to keep ‘insurance’ documents for much longer, and incorporated documents indefinitely.
Please also note that since GDPR, there needs to be an important reason to keep documents. If they aren’t needed then you will need to destroy them securely.
Once decided, move to step 2.
There are 3 main types of service:-
a) One off / ad-hoc – good for getting rid of accumulated documents.
This can be as and when you require it. No contract, no commitment.
b) Regular Shredding* – good for keeping the office clutter free and helps with compliance.
With this service you decide on what container you want the shredding to be stored in.
Options include secure locked office consoles, bags, boxes, pallet tubs.
You also decided on frequency you want.
Weekly, fortnightly, 4 weekly or every 8 weeks.
c) Ad-hoc followed by Automatic / Regular shredding – good for compliance.
This option is best of both worlds as it not only help you clear all unwanted documents from your archive but helps you keep the office clear of clutter.
We’ll be able to give you a very cost effective, secure and compliant way to do your document destruction.
* Regular Shredding can be done on a short term (minimal notice period) or a 12 month, 24 month or 36 month contract. You decide.
Once you’ve decided on service type proceed to Step 3.
We offer 2 main types of shredding service in Cumbria:-
a) Off-site shredding – Our most popular and cost effective service.
With offsite shredding our BS7858 vetted staff visit your office and take your shredding back to our secure shredding plant.
Your documents are shredded under CCTV to BS EN 15713:2009, the British Standard.
b) On-site shredding – Truck service.
With on-site shredding we send a truck to your premises and shred your documents onsite.
Your documents are shredded under CCTV to BS EN 15713:2009, the British Standard, the same as for offsite shredding.
This is a more expensive service which suits a small percentage of clients.
Once you’ve decided on the type of shredding then please proceed to Step 4
We try to minimise our impact on the environment by recycling the shredded paper with British paper mills. They ask that we keep any non-paper contamination down to a very low percentage and thus we ask you to follow our ‘Sorting Guide’. Put very simply, please remove any plastics or chunky metal (including large bulldog clips and lever arch files) before collection. (We offer a sorting service, if required. Price upon request). If using boxes or bags then please limit the weight of these to 15Kg each to minimise the risk of staff injury.
a) Sort your documents according to our ‘sorting guide’ (we will email this over with your quotation)
b) Limit bag / box weight to 15kg each (Absolute max of 17kg)
c) Store in secure place with easy access
Once done, please proceed to Step 4. Of course you may wish to make an advanced booking and allocate time for sorting in between.
The quotation can be obtained at any step in the process but at this point you will have better idea what your requirements are. Please contact us by phone, email or webform and we’ll be happy to give you a quotation for your shredding requirements.
We aim to deliver the very best confidential shredding service at a competitive sustainable price which is why our customer retention rates are very high.
All quotes can be emailed so that you have a written copy. Handy if you need to get written authorisation to proceed.
Once done and approved, please proceed to Step 6.
Either email us or phone us to book your collection / shredding date. If you need to submit a P.O. (purchase order) then please do this by email.
The more notice you give us the more option we’ll have for a collection date.
Next is Step 7
We’ll arrive on the scheduled date and collect you shredding during normal office hours. We’ll collect your shredding leaving you a Waste Transfer Note (a document where responsibility is passed from yourselves to us).
(If you’ve ordered an onsite truck it will normally arrive between 9-5. The paperwork will double up as a certificate of destruction also).
Please ask us to schedule a phone call from our driver 30 mins ahead of their arrival time if required.
Your shredding will be done within 24 hours to BS EN 15713:2009. We are audited to this standard via our ISO 9001:2015 certification
Next is Step 8
Once we’ve shredded your material you will received:-
– a ‘Certificate of Destruction’
– an ‘invoice’
Both will normally be sent via email. Usually this happens within a couple of working days. Copies are also kept on our system should you ever need them in the future.
Next is Step 9
Having shredded your material, it is then compacted into a bale with around 60 tonnes of force!. The paper is then sent to UK based paper mills where it is recycled into paper / tissue.
We like to use UK mills as this supports our local economy and keeps our CO2 footprint low, thus better for the environment.
Did you know that for ever tonne of paper we recycle we save around 14 trees !!
Would you like a regular service ? proceed to Step 10
Whether it’s GDPR compliance, peace of mind, other compliance or simply keeping your office tidy, many companies choose to have a regular automatic service. For further information please contact us.