Off-Site Shredding Services

While some larger organisations continue to have all their redundant confidential documents shredded on-site, off-site shredding is emerging as an equally secure and more cost-efficient alternative.

When To Consider Off-Site Shredding

The primary reason companies use on-site shredding services is the extra assurance of seeing the destruction process in operation.  A mobile industrial-grade shredding unit is parked on or just outside their premises and all confidential paper waste is carried out and fed straight into the shredder.  For that reason, the risk of documents being lost or stolen may be minimised and a certificate of destruction is issued before the mobile shredding unit leaves the premises.

But, for on-site shredding to be a practicable option, the organisation must ensure it has sufficient secure storage space for all its waste paper until the shredding unit arrives. As office storage such as filing cabinets is likely to be needed for current records, the redundant documents may need to be placed in another location with restricted access.

The organisation must also hold the waste paper in secure containers while it is being transported from the storage area to the shredding unit, particularly if this involves carrying it through areas where employees without data security clearance, or members of the public, have access.

Last but not least, it must have a suitable place for the unit to park during the shredding process without causing an obstruction or safety hazard to traffic and pedestrians. This can frequently be a problem for hospitals, legal and financial institutions, and other offices located in central city districts where parking spaces are at a premium.

Why You Can Trust Our Off-Site Shredding Services

We have developed a thorough system that ensures all your confidential waste is kept secure from the moment you discard it to the moment it is shredded into particles that are small enough to more than comply with the legal requirements of GDPR.

Your waste paper will have been collected in secure, lockable consoles that enable easy disposal but prevent documents from being retrieved. Unlike some off-site confidential shredding services that charge a fixed amount to empty your consoles regularly, whether they are full or not, we provide a QR code on the console for you to scan when it is ready for emptying.

This alerts us automatically and on arrival at your premises, we empty the contents into a secure slam-lock transit box for transporting them to our van.

The customer service representative (CSR) who collects waste from your premises has been security vetted to meet BS7858 and DBS checked for access to premises where they might be in contact with children and vulnerable adults.

We also only use vehicles from our own fleet to make collections. These are all fitted with CCTV cameras and real-time satellite tracking and as an extra precaution, they carry no signwriting that might disclose the confidential nature of their cargo.

On arrival at our shredding facility – which is also protected by 24/7 CCTV security – your confidential waste will only be removed from the slam-lock transit boxes and shredded by BS7858 security-vetted staff. Once the shredding has been completed you will be given a certificate of destruction.

At the end of the day, your choice of on-site or off-site confidential shredding will be influenced by your particular circumstances. But either way, by choosing to shred with Avena Group you can be sure your reputation and the confidentiality of your employees, clients, patients, and commercially sensitive information will remain in the safest of hands.

Give us a call today to schedule a service or get a quote!

When working with Avena, you can be sure that you will receive a shredding solution via our PROTECTR System that best suits your needs. Our services within this system includes: