MHW Magazine News and stories from the Materials Handling Industry
A mobile shredding service has been introduced in Lancashire to help companies avoid falling foul of data protection laws.
High profile prosecutions in the banking and finance sectors have brought the issues to light, with confidential data left lying in general waste for others to find.
Neales Waste Management has launched a pair of specialised shredding trucks onto the streets to combat the problem and will visit business premises to destroy all sensitive information.
It represents a significant investment for Neales, but is perfect for providing peace of mind and keeping on the right side of the law, where penalties can include fines of up to £5,000, criminal records for employees and in some cases the closure of businesses.
The Data Protection Act 1998 covers computer records, CDs and disks, ID badges and SIM and credit cards, all of which can be destroyed by the purpose-built vehicles.
Police estimate that failing to properly dispose of critical information – which can range from bank statements through to innocent emails bearing sender and recipient addresses – is costing the UK £20 billion each year.
“This type of fraud, along with identity theft, is on the increase,” said Neales Waste Management's Steve Jones.
“If someone has access to your details, they have the type of power over your business which they shouldn't. And if they have access to your customers' details, then the penalties are severe.”
“This is a pointless worry as a service like ours would typically cost less than paying someone to shred documents in the office – and we can guarantee our service.”
The advanced waste management technology incorporated within the vehicles vastly reduces the mass of paperwork into small and compact packages. It is then taken to be recycled and a Certification of Destruction is produced for the company.
Collections are available as a one-off operation or can be organised for weekly or daily collections. For more details of the law regarding confidential data, or to enquire about mobile shredding, contact Neales on 01254 506300 or visit www.neales-waste.co.uk
