Putting sensitive paper in the recycling bin or running it through an office shredder isn’t a destruction plan. Neither one gives you proof of what was destroyed, when, or by whom. If a privacy regulator, client or auditor asks how you disposed of personal information, “we shredded it ourselves” is a hard answer to back up.
Why disposal is part of privacy compliance
Canadian privacy laws look at the whole life of a record, not just how it’s stored. For most private-sector organizations that means PIPEDA, which expects personal information to be destroyed securely once it’s no longer needed. In Ontario, health information custodians are covered by PHIPA. In both cases the safe assumption is the same: you are responsible for how records are destroyed, and you may have to show it.
Where DIY disposal falls short
- No chain of custody. Nothing documents the path from your office to destruction.
- No proof. You can’t produce a record that shows what was destroyed and when.
- Capacity. An office shredder jams, overheats and slows down long before it handles a real backlog of boxes.
- Drift. Records pile up in storage rooms and cabinets because destruction is nobody’s scheduled job.
What professional shredding adds
- Chain-of-custody protocols. Documents are handed off and tracked from your premises through to destruction, so every step is accountable.
- A Record of Destruction. A document confirming that your records were destroyed, which is what you hand to an auditor, a client or a regulator when asked.
- Destruction beyond reconstruction. The goal isn’t smaller strips of paper; it’s that nobody can put the information back together.
- A scheduled service. Pickup is arranged at your address at a time that suits you, so destruction happens on a routine instead of when someone finally has time.
Who this matters most for
Medical and dental offices (patient charts), law firms (client files), accounting firms (tax and financial records with SINs and account numbers), and any business holding employee HR files. Anywhere personal or financial information builds up faster than anyone clears it.
A quick test
If you were asked today how your business destroyed sensitive records last year, could you show the date, the method and a Record of Destruction? If not, that is the gap worth closing first.
How it works with us
Records Management Ltd. picks up from your address at a time you request (our staff call to confirm), destroys the records, and issues a Record of Destruction. Pricing is a flat fee per standard banker’s box, which makes budgeting simple. Details and scheduling are on our Shredding Services page.
Schedule a shredding pickup.
Related reading
This article is general information, not legal advice.