Why do I need to shred my documents?

It’s the law! Businesses have a legal and ethical responsibility to keep sensitive customer and employee information from falling into the wrong hands. Businesses can no longer throw confidential documents in the typical waste bins. Proper disposal of personal & confidential documents in a timely fashion will limit your liability in litigation and protects proprietary information from competitors. A Shred 2 Pieces will securely destroy confidential information on-site.

In addition:

Protect Yourself and Others From Identity Theft And Fraud: Shredding documents isn’t just an easy way to dispose of unwanted documents; it’s a big help in protecting yourself from one of today’s most invasive crimes - identity theft. Identity theft is one of the fastest growing types of fraud. In 2006, there were over 67,000-recorded victims. Identity theft is much more than the misuse of a Social Security number-it can also include credit card and mail fraud. ‘Dumpster divers’ are taking advantage of carelessness and the relaxed “that’ll never happen to me” attitude. It’s as simple as this… Thieves can’t steal what they can’t read!

Keep Your Business Materials Confidential: When it comes to the confidential matters of your company, you can never be too safe! Every business owner should take every precaution possible to ensure all confidential materials are totally destroyed to minimize the chance of a security breach or corporate espionage.

Help The Environment: Recycling paper has substantial benefits on our eco-system and it is so easy to do! A Shred 2 Pieces utilizes an environmentally friendly method to dispose of highly confidential documents and other materials.

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What should be shredded?

1. Documents that are mandated by law:

·        FACTA - Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act: The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003, also known as the FACT Act, was signed into law on December 4, 2003. The Act contains a number of provisions intended to combat identity theft and consumer fraud and related crimes. The act requires the destruction of papers containing consumer information. This law binds virtually every business or organization.

·        HIPPA - Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (revised by Congress in 2000) is a federal law that governs the handling of confidential medical and personal information and records. Civil and Criminal penalties, as well as fines, may result from the inadvertent disclosure of personal information. All company's that handle medical and personal information must be in compliance with the federal standards by April of 2003.

·        Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLB) - Financial: Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999, which went into effect in July of 2002, governs the handling of all personal information. Much broader in scope than HIPPA, this law was designed to compel financial institutions to "respect the privacy of its customers" and mandates that all financial institutions establish procedures for protecting personal information, including the protection of discarded information.

·        Texas House Bill 698: House Bill 698 (McCall/Averitt) of September 19, 2005 creates a Texas law to require businesses to destroy or modify business records containing personal identifying information - or pay a $500 fine.

·         Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002: Also known as the Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act of 2002. Among the Sarbanes-Oxley Act’s major provisions in one that includes a requirement those public companies evaluate and disclose the effectiveness of their internal controls. It is generally this requirement that gives attention to the need for companies to have detailed information control systems – including secure disposal of obsolete business records.

·         Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA): Improper disposal of student records may constitute an unauthorized disclosure under FERPA.

2. Documents that contain that confidential information:

·        Customer Information
·        Employee Information
·        Proposals, quotes, pricing files
·        Financial reports
·        Marketing data
·        Old tax records
·        Out dated records

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Should we remove paper clips, fasteners, staples, or binders?

Our powerful shredders are equipped to destroy the above-mentioned items with no difficulties.

What do I have to do to prepare documents for destruction?

Nothing more than deposit them in the secure bins and consoles placed around your office. There is no need to remove paper clips, staples, or any other type of binding.

What other type of material do you destroy in addition to paper?

A Shred 2 Pieces’ powerful Shred-Tech MDS 35GTi trucks will shred just about anything. We can destroy books, CDs, DVDs, computer hard drives, reel tapes, cassette tapes, pill bottles, and various other items.

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Should I have our documents destroyed regularly?

By destroying records regularly will help a company limit its’ risk. Also, it is a cost effective way to remove sensitive documents and eliminate a massive accumulation of old material. Based on your company’s needs, A Shred 2 Pieces will schedule a regular time—daily, weekly, monthly—to destroy and then recycle your sensitive material.

Why outsource when I can do my own shredding?

Of course you can always do your own shredding, but that is not nearly as secure as if we do it--especially if other employees are involved. It would take you days to shred what we can shred in minutes. So, when you think of the time consumed and the hassle of using inexpensive shredders that handle low volumes and constantly are jamming, you will find that the A Shred 2 Pieces approach is not only more secure, but also the most cost effective. Shred it and forget it!

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How much paper do I need to justify a shredding service

An office with less than 4 employees can produce over 100 pounds of paper every month. That correlates into many hours spent feeding a few sheets at a time into a small office shredder. It is far more secure, economical and convenient to collect these materials in a secure container than for you to try to keep up with it. Plus, you are doing the environment a favor by recycling.

Why don’t you offer off-site document destruction?

We believe there are inherent risks in off-site document destruction. Once the documents leave your parking lot you really don’t know what could or will happen. Given the risks, the many unknowns, and the recent lawsuits in DFW with off-site companies not shredding documents & losing bins, we feel on-site destruction is the best method for document destruction. Your information will not leave your parking lot until it is completely shredded. Thus, A Shred 2 Pieces is only committed to providing on-site service! With A Shred 2 Pieces you never have to wonder if your documents really got shredded.

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Do your personnel physically touch our material?

No, but they are constantly viewing the material to be sure there are no contaminants going into the shredder. Our shred professionals are always on the lookout for large contaminates such as corporate stamps, staplers, and other items that do not need to be shredded and will remove them before they go into the shredder.

Isn’t recycling the same as document destruction?

While recycling ultimately results in the destruction of your documents, sensitive documents may be available for anyone throughout the process to see. Recycling companies do exactly that “recycle”, but they are not trained or in the business to handle and destroy sensitive documents.

What happens to the documents after they are destroyed?

All shredded paper is securely recycled. Every day, our trucks are emptied at various paper recyclers throughout the Metroplex.

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How secure are your containers?

We offer and maintain three different options with regards to ergonomically designed lockable security containers. These containers are of the highest quality and are made by the leading manufacturers in the industry. Choose a bin size and type that best fits your needs or let our professional staff assist in your selection. The type and size can be changed at any time during the agreement. Unlike many other companies, we inspect our bins & consoles on every visit for cleanliness, quality, and most importantly, security.

Do you require your employees to be bonded?

Yes. This is an area where we feel strongly we are different from any of our competitors. We have the most stringent hiring policy in the industry, seeking and employing individuals with the highest level of integrity and competency among our operations, driver/shred technicians, and customer service employees. When hiring drivers/shred technicians, we seek retired military and police personnel, who have proven that they make the right decisions regardless of the situation. All employees are bonded, uniformed, and wear A Shred 2 Pieces issued badges.

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Do you require your employees to undergo drug testing

Yes. We require our employees to participate in drug testing upon hire and to submit to random drug testing during the term of their employment. Also, we do extensive background checks on every employee.

How much can you shred in an hour?

Our powerful Shred –Tech MDS 35GTi shreds over 6,000 pounds of paper per hour.

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Can I witness destruction of my information?

Yes. On-site monitoring is available through cameras installed in the paper shredding and collection compartments in the trucks. Video recording of the shredding process is available.

What customer support do you offer?

Our service center is open 8 am – 5 pm CST Monday through Friday. We pride ourselves on providing superior customer service and our account representatives are highly trained courteous professionals.

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Do you offer a certificate of document destruction?

We can issue a Certificate of Destruction once your records have been destroyed. The form will include data and method of destruction, description of the disposed records, dates covered, statement that records were destroyed as part of the normal course of business, and signatures and names of individuals supervising and witnessing the destruction. We can also provide detailed monthly recycle poundage and quality reports.

Do you submit to audits?

We welcome any client to audit our operations, whether scheduled or unscheduled. A Shred 2 Pieces has unparalleled operational efficiency in every aspect of our business.

What are payment and billing options?

We offer standard billing or can provide customized billing to meet your needs. Our invoicing programs are flexible with regards to the type of information displayed on the invoices.

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