UNIVERSITY of GLASGOW

DP and FOI office
Home > Services A-Z > DP and FOI office > A-Z topics > Disposal of Records

Paper Waste Disposal and Confidential Information Destruction

Why is it important to destroy information appropriately?

It is essential for the effective administration of the University that redundant or time expired information is destroyed routinely. Employees need to know the most appropriate method and the point in time to destroy information.
 
It is the responsibility of employees who select information for destruction to do so in accordance with the University’s record retention guidelines (available at http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/dpfoioffice/guidanceonrecordsretention/ ) and to ensure they follow University guidelines and advice.
 
In addition, the Data Protection Act 1998 and Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 place specific responsibilities upon us to destroy information (both paper and electronic) appropriately (i.e. in line with the agreed University records retention schedule), regularly and it may be necessary to keep a record of its destruction.
 
See the following web pages for more information about our responsibilities under the Data Protection Act and Freedom of Information http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/dpfoioffice/

How to decide if paper waste needs confidential destruction: options for waste paper disposal

  • Routine paper waste, for example blank forms, routine correspondence, early drafts of work, publicity material or "junk" mail should be put into the office paper recycling bins. This probably accounts for the largest proportion of waste created in offices. Put the waste directly into your office paper-recycling bin.
  • Papers that contain information about sensitive University business, and therefore have a selected readership, (i.e. because its disclosure would compromise personal privacy, financial or strategic information etc.) need to be disposed of carefully. If you have small amounts of papers to destroy and have access to a shredder, you should use it and then put the waste into your office paper-recycling bin.
  • Large volumes of information about sensitive University business (i.e. information whose disclosure would compromise personal privacy, financial or strategic information etc.) should be disposed of by the confidential waste service provided through Estates and Buildings.

The type of information which should be handled in this way includes: any significant information about living people, whether they are employees, students or have other links to the University - past, present and future.  For example, records of performance measuring, monitoring or details of an individual’s performance or their conduct – or a financial relationship with them.

This is a relatively expensive way of destroying information so only use it for dealing with information which warrants it.

You should follow the University’s records retention schedule, which shows that different types of record (e.g. committee papers, individual employee files, project files) are reviewed, weeded and disposed of systematically. This meets the requirements placed on us by the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and other external regulation. The Records and Information Management Service (R&IMS) can work with you to produce bespoke retention schedules tailored to the needs of your office, see http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/dpfoioffice/guidanceonrecordsandinformationmanagement/ for further details.

Procedure for Confidential Waste Disposal

Departments who have regular, reasonably large quantities of confidential waste are provided with a console which is placed in the office and emptied on a monthly or fortnightly basis. This method has the advantage of reducing the number of people who handle the paper and minimising the administration and operational process. If departments feel that they have sufficient regular throughput to warrant the installation of a console they should contact Estates and Buildings - c.harvey@admin.gla.ac.uk.

However, departments who have less regular requirements for processing confidential waste, but sufficient quantities where they wish to avoid shredding, can still submit a works request for the provision and collection of bags by Estates & Buildings.

  •  Assess how many bags you require. The bags are approx. 125cm x 80cm and the correct volume per bag should be equivalent to approximately 1.5 "bankers" boxes (Fellowes R-Kive Large Storage Box, Code No. 723.199. These boxes measure H287xW380xD430mm) or one filing cabinet drawer. The maximum weight of bags is 25kgs and they should be no more than half full.
  • Submit a works request form to Estates & Buildings https://ebhelpdesk.mis.gla.ac.uk/helpdesk/htdocs/common/default_gl.php for confidential waste bags with an estimate of the number required. 
  • On receipt of the confidential waste bags, fill with only paper and lightweight card, making sure not to overfill the bags so they can still be properly sealed.
  • Plastic wallets, folders, binders etc. must be separated from the confidential waste and disposed of separately. This is because the shredding machine can only deal with paper. The end products from the shredding process are then turned into recycled paper products. 
  • You do not need to remove staples and paper clips.
  • When the waste has been bagged, seal the bag by removing the peel off strip, closing the bag over and sealing it. 
  • When the waste is ready for collection submit a new job request with your budget centre.  Be aware it can be several days before Estates staff uplift the bags, so you may want to submit your job request prior to finishing the bagging process.
  • In order to prevent bags being tampered with, do not leave them unattended or in corridors or outside offices.  Do not leave full bags outside, as apart from compromising the confidentiality of the information, the bags are made of thick paper that will deteriorate in the rain.
  • If you wish to see your records destroyed Estates and Buildings can arrange access to the on-site shredding process. For more information, please contact extension 4457.
  • The completed job line will be retained by Works Administration. All job lines are retained in line with financial regulations; this is two years after the date of issue.
  • The shredding contractor will process the confidential waste bags from the Estates and Buildings storage area on a weekly basis in the shredding vehicle.

Process for the Secure Destruction of Computer Discs, CDs, Videotapes etc 

IT Services offer guidance on the disposal of computer equipment, bearing in mind that the machines themselves must also be disposed off carefully as they can contain sensitive information just as readily as disposable media such as CDs.  For more details, see:
http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/it/forstaff/itpurchasing/disposalofitequipment/

The Data Protection Office holds a machine for destroying CDs, which can be used for small volumes of CDs.  Contact the Data Protection Office if you would like to make use of the CD destruction machine.  If you have any other concerns relevant to our compliance with the Data Protection Act please contact the Data Protection Office, see http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/dpfoioffice/ or extension 3111.


Useful contacts:

Estates and Buildings (for removing and recycling any type of waste)
http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/estates/maintain.htm
 
Purchasing Office
http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/purchasing/supplier/suppliersmenu.htm
 
Data Protection/Freedom of Information Office (for advice about records retention or managing information)
http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/dpfoioffice/