What is a Certificate of Destruction & How Do You Obtain One?

A Certificate of Destruction (COD) is a document containing confirmation that your sensitive and confidential data stored on paper or hard drives has been destroyed. Every Shred-it^® customer receives a Proof of Service (POS) confirming that their material has been collected. If you receive on-site shredding service (meaning your paper or hard drives are shredded at your location rather than at a Shred-it^® facility) your POS also effectively serves as a COD because destruction occurs at the time of service. A POS will typically include information such as the type of shredding service received, the date service occurred, the location of service, order/customer number, and similar details. A Shred-it^® POS also estimates the amount of paper that will be sent for recycling as a result of your service.

When might you want a POS to be a Certificate of Destruction?

A POS for on-site services may be helpful in the event of an internal audit or agency inspection where you require proof of destruction.

If your organization handles documents that contain sensitive and confidential information, you may be under an obligation, either by law or company policy, to securely destroy them consistent with your document retention guidelines. Although the type of information at issue and the applicable requirements or best practices vary by industry, these are the types of information that you may want to consider shredding via on-site destruction:

• Personally identifiable information (PII) such as addresses, social security numbers, private health information, or financial information
• Information protected by privacy laws
• Corporate trade secrets
• Financial details
• Old boarding passes
• Discarded shipping labels
• Personal photos

Your shredding provider should always provide you with a POS, which may also serve as a COD (if needed) for any on-site services.

How to Get Your Proof Of Service

Shred-it^® automatically emails a POS soon after the service is completed. If needed and upon request, we can also provide physical paper copies.  

How Mobile Paper Shredding Works

Mobile shredding offers secure document destruction services at your location. For some organizations, on-site shredding service is a preferred option. 

Whether it’s because of corporate policy or for the peace of mind that comes with seeing sensitive documents destroyed in person, Shred-it^® offers an on-site, mobile document shredding service designed to meet the unique needs of your organization.

Here’s what you can expect from Shred-it^®’s mobile shredding services:

• Secure mobile shredding services on or near your business premises
• Our representative comes to your location during a scheduled time
• We empty the contents of your locked consoles into our mobile shredding truck
• All documents are shredded while the mobile shredding truck is on site at your location
• You receive a Proof of Service, which also serves as a Certificate of Destruction, verifying your confidential documents have been securely destroyed

Learn more about Shred-it^®’s secure document destruction services and how we can help keep your business’s physical data safe.