Whether you’re clearing house at your business or your actual house, you may discover that you’ve accumulated a pile of highly sensitive documents over the years. They may contain personal information, health records, proprietary info, or something equally likely to ruffle feathers or risk fines if they fall into the wrong hands. With that in mind, you clearly can’t simply chuck the pile into a dumpster and hope for the best. You need to destroy sensitive documents that have served their purpose completely. Here’s how to go about destroying old sensitive documents so that you stay out of trouble.

Pick the Right Ones To Destroy

This might seem obvious, but it’s not unheard of to accidentally trash something and then wonder where the heck it went later. Sit down and sort through the documents with a trusted adviser or two and give the thumbs up or down on specific documents. Create a list as well, giving a breakdown of each document without revealing the contents. As for deciding what needs to go, the reasons vary. You should keep tax records at least three years after filing, while bank and credit card statements should stick around for a year at most. Never destroy birth certificates, death certificates, deeds, ledgers, standing contracts, and other vitally important documents.

Pick the Means of Destruction

Once you have your stack of disposable documents, think about how to get rid of them. While there’s something cathartic, dramatic, and even cozy about burning them, that’s not a very safe or efficient way to handle a large quantity of documents. Shredding is best. Purchasing a cross-cutting or micro-cutting shredder and doing the deed yourself can save money, and you’ll have the added certainty that the docs are gone. Still, if you have rooms and filing cabinets full of documents, it’s a waste of time. It’s best to hire a credentialed shredding service in this case, preferably one that can destroy documents on-site.

Consider Recycling

If you have a large quantity of paper heading to the shredder, consider hiring a shredding company that assures that they’ll pulp and recycle the paper elsewhere. There’s no need not to go green with paper shredding. And if the shredding involves other items, like disks, laptops, tablets, computers, hard drives, servers, and the like, remember that electronic devices require special handling. They contain elements and other things that can hurt the ecosystem. After their destruction, make sure they’re going to a better place, so to speak.

Always Ask for a Certificate of Destruction

Here’s one last tip on how to go about destroying old sensitive documents. When hiring a shredding service, make sure they provide a certificate of destruction. There are very good reasons to request a certificate of destruction. It’s a document that outlines what you had destroyed and verifies that it’s gone for good. If a document turns up and leads to a lawsuit or similarly costly proceeding, you’ll have proof that you did your due diligence.

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