The unique relationship between Earth Day and paper shredding is so perfect it seems obvious once you know about it, but it has gone unacknowledged for far too long. Now is the time to bring it front and center and explain what makes these two the perfect besties.
IRL (In Real Life)
Every year, the average American throws away more than 700 pounds of paper, accounting for a massive 25 percent of landfill waste. On a worldwide scale, pulp and paper consumption is expected to double between 2010 and 2060. That makes me smh (shake my head). This problem not only affects the world we live in now, but also the future Earth our descendants will have to live in. It’s what makes observing Earth Day so important. yolo (you only live once), right?
For legal and security reasons, any documents with Personally Identifiable Information (PII) or Personal Health Information (PHI) generated or received by your organization must be securely destroyed. They can never end up in the trash or recycling bin. If they do, you risk a data breach that exposes the PII and/or PHI of your clients or employees. Not only could that information be used for unauthorized purposes, including identity theft, but your organization could be facing steep fines and legal action due to non-compliance with data privacy laws.
Sensitive information should always be destroyed in accordance with the requirements laid out in state and federal data privacy laws, including:
- HIPAA
- FERPA
- FACTA
- SOX
- GLBA
- The Washington Privacy Act (WPA) of 2021
Since about 45% of paper printed in offices is discarded by the end of the same day, there is a high likelihood that private information is not being properly destroyed. That’s a lot of paper containing potentially-sensitive information that should be properly disposed of.
Paper shredding is the most commonly-used method of information destruction, and NAID AAA Certified shredding is considered the gold standard, requiring that any company that seeks the certification meet and maintain the highest security standards in the industry.
BFFs (Best Friends Forever)
Security isn’t the only reason to consider using the services of a professional shredding company to destroy your documents. In fact, the very reason why shredding and Earth Day became BFFs is because a responsible shredding company will recycle 100% of their shredded paper instead of dumping it into a landfill.
TBBH (To Be Brutally Honest)
Given how much paper we all use and discard, recycling it is extremely important. Here are just a few of the facts behind the special relationship between Earth Day and shredding:
- It takes 70% less energy and water to recycle paper than to create new paper from trees.
- Because less energy is needed, using recycled paper instead of virgin pulp to produce new products reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
- According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), recycling one ton of paper saves 17 trees and more than 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space.
FTW (For the Win)
This year, celebrate Earth Day by making simple changes to your paper consumption, like choosing paperless billing, viewing and sharing information digitally, and opting for online publications instead of bulky printed magazines and journals. Every change makes a difference!
CI Information Management is a NAID AAA Certified shredding company serving the businesses and residents of Southwestern and Central Washington and Northeastern Oregon. We recycle 100% of the paper we shred because we believe it is important to protect the planet we call home. If you have questions or would like to book shredding service, give us a call at 509-586-6090 or complete the form on this page. We’re always HTH (here to help)!
