Secure Data Protection Services, 3Rs: Reduce, Reuse & Recycle

Started by the United Nations (UN), World Environment Day encourages worldwide awareness and action for protection of the environment. Today, it is celebrated every June 5 by millions of people, who have dedicated this day to taking care of the Earth.

In Singapore, paper waste constitutes almost 15% of generated[1] waste. Making the simple effort to incorporate the “3Rs: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle[2]” into our everyday lives goes a long way in the bid to save the environment. However, let’s not forget to keep our personal information safe. Here are some ways we can practice the 3Rs while protecting our data:

Reduce – Print less

We may not realise that most of our documents do not need to be printed. Other than documents that need to be kept in hardcopy, like contractual agreements, we can prevent wasting a significant amount of paper by accessing documents online. Printed documents containing confidential information should be disposed of by secure shredding after use to avoid risking a data breach.

Reuse – Fully utilise every sheet

Think twice before throwing out a piece of used paper. You can make use of the blank side to take notes from a meeting. Before reusing these papers, do check that there is nothing confidential on the other side. Documents containing sensitive information should be kept away in a lockable drawer that is only accessible by authorised individuals and disposed of securely when no longer used. Strewn across your desk, you never know who might access your personal data, or what they might do with it. Implementing a Clean Desk Policy will keep papers that contain your information out of sight and out of danger.

Recycle – Stay safe

Most people dump their paper waste into rubbish bins because they are available everywhere. Nevertheless, organisations can cultivate a green environment by making recycling bins more accessible. Going green and ensuring that protection of confidential information is not compromised is crucial. Standard recycling processes can present risks to your private data. Data can be easily accessed from unsecure bins and during the transfer of documents to the recycling plant.

A Shred-it All Policy can be implemented in your organisation to avoid such risks. Besides being secure, Shred-it also protects the environment by recycling all shredded documents.

Shred-it is also an expert at secure disposal of sensitive data. Shred-it’s consoles ensure your documents are kept under lock-and-key until a trusted staff picks them up, where they can be safely shredded within minutes at your organisation’s premises. A Certificate of Destruction is issued to every customer, to prove that your business has played its part to be Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliant.

Secure Data Protection for your Business​

An organisation that integrates personal data protection into its business processes can help reduce the risk of a data breach. Learn how Shred-it can protect your documents and hard-drives by contacting us for a free quote and security risk assessment.

Sources:

[1] Nea.gov.sg. (2018). Waste Statistics and Overall Recycling. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.nea.gov.sg/energy-waste/waste-management/waste-statistics-and-overall-recycling [Accessed 9 May 2018].

[2] Nea.gov.sg. (2018). Waste Minimisation and Recycling. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.nea.gov.sg/energy-waste/3rs [Accessed 9 May 2018].