August 06, 2018

Shred-it receives National Environment Agency (NEA) General Waste Disposal Facilities (GWDFs) license

Mr Jenson Tan, Operations & Sales Manager, Shred-it Singapore, with Shred-it’s newly awarded General Waste Disposal Facilities (GWDFs) license issued by the National Environment Agency (NEA).
 
Singapore, 6 August 2018 – Shred-it, Singapore’s leading onsite secure information destruction company, has received the General Waste Disposal Facilities (GWDFs) license issued by the National Environment Agency (NEA). The GWDFs license allows Shred-it’s facilities to receive, store, process or treat different types of waste such as e-waste and is testament to Shred-it’s reputation as an expert in the secure destruction and recycling of e-waste.
 
Confidential and personal data can easily be retrieved from unwanted electronic devices which are discarded unsecurely. Shred-it assists organisations to destroy e-waste securely, preventing unwanted data breaches and ensuring compliance with data security regulations, such as the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) and the recently introduced European Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
 
“With the GWDFs license, our customers can be assured that their e-waste is not only securely destroyed, but also recycled in a manner that does not harm the environment or their reputation”, said Duncan Brown, General Manager, Shred-it Singapore.
 
Shred-it Singapore has experienced a 68% increase in demand for e-waste security among its customers over the last one year, with a substantial increase in the first six months of 2018. Since Singapore generates 60,000 tonnes of e-waste annually, secure disposal is absolutely essential to ensure that the information does not land in the wrong hands.
 
Most electronic devices store personal details, ranging from text messages to photographs, and confidential information such as company logos and credit card details. For the sake of convenience, e-waste is often discarded in general waste. If left intact, confidential, commercially sensitive and personal data can be left exposed and be used to harm corporations and individuals, for instance by committing corporate fraud or identity theft.
 
In addition, e-waste that is not securely disposed of is a lost recycling opportunity. Heavy metals extracted from e-waste after destruction, through proper recycling procedures can be reused by manufacturers to make new products. Furthermore, the heavy metals and hazardous substances found in e-waste are harmful to human health and the environment if not disposed of in a safe manner.
 
Shred-it gives organisations the opportunity to destroy and recycle their e-waste the right way. State-of-the-art destruction machinery and a secure chain of custody ensures the complete destruction and recycling of e-waste, adhering to NEA standards.
 
With the upcoming implementation of the mandatory e-waste management system by the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) by the 2021, it is important for organisations to engage a trusted service provider who can not only destroy e-waste securely, but also in a manner that protects our health and environment.
 

1 Channel NewsAsia (2018). Compulsory e-waste management system to be enforced by 2021 [online] Channel NewsAsia. Available at: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/e-waste-management-system-2021-10017012 [Accessed 31 July 2018]