August 19, 2019
How to dispose of confidential waste
Businesses are warned to be careful with confidential waste – not dealing with personal data properly could mean you’re breaking data protection law and lead to a fine of up to £500,000.
If your company is hiring a skip before an office move or refurbishment, it’s tempting to have a clean sweep and get rid of all the old files that are clogging up your shelves. But be careful with paper and computer files that include confidential information, disposing of them carelessly could lead to information being leaked.
The Data Protection Act 20018 makes your company responsible for the proper handling of confidential data. Fail in your duties and you could be prosecuted.
You may not believe that your organisation deals in too much confidential information. However, just by running your business, you will collect personal and financial information from your customers including their name, address, telephone numbers, email addresses, date of birth and credit card details. This is all personal data and failure to safeguard it properly is a breach of the law.
The rules apply to formal documents but also to notes written by hand or photocopies. Sensitive or personal information kept on USBs, DVDs, CDs, laptops and PCs must be dealt with appropriately too, when no longer required. Before disposing of any paperwork or computer file, check it carefully. Anything that contains personal or sensitive information must be treated as confidential waste.
Destroying information earlier than necessary may also be a breach of the law so it is important to be aware of this too.
Always use a reputable company with experience of destroying confidential waste. Whether your confidential waste is in paper form or stored in a digital format, you should receive a Certificate of Destruction from the company to show you’ve taken steps to comply with the law.
And once the waste is bagged up and ready to go, be careful to never leave it lying around in public areas.
Aside from the confidentiality issue, if you need to get rid of computers, laptops, printers and other hardware, these shouldn’t be placed in a skip but dealt with properly as waste electrical and electronic equipment.
The Information Commissioner’s office has issued hefty fines for data breaches which resulted in sensitive material falling into the wrong hands.
- The NHS was fined £325,000 for allowing patient data to fall into the wrong hands. Computer hard drives containing sensitive patient data that should have been destroyed were instead sold on the internet. This could have been avoided with a professional hard drive and media destruction service.
- Wolverhampton City Council was found to be in breach of the Data Protection Act after confidential waste was thrown in a skip on their premises. Printed confidential waste should be properly destroyed by shredding with either a mobile or off-site shredding service.
- Scottish Borders Council was fined £250,000 after employees’ pension records were found in a paper recycling bank at a local supermarket. Confidential waste should always be properly disposed of and separated from normal recyclable waste.
At ProSkips, we are also committed to helping everybody who hires a skip from us keep on the right side of the law – from residential customers to small businesses and major multinational companies. We can provide advice on disposing of confidential waste, as well as a range of materials, including Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment. We will also help organise all the skip permits you need.
If you would like to hire a skip in Croydon, South Croydon, Sutton, Wimbledon, Clapham, Wandsworth or Streatham, get in touch with us today.
