For many years, security shredding has been considered the most effective way for organisations and individuals to destroy confidential paper records. It is efficient, cost effective, and, as all paper is recycled, is good for the environment.

However, before the 1980s it was rare for businesses to shred confidential material and it wasn’t until the 1990s that the UK industry really started to take shape.

Many of the UK companies to first offer security shredding services were paper merchants who were already recycling waste paper and saw security shredding as a natural progression. Yet some were concerned by the substandard practices employed by some companies operating in the market at the time and wanted to set themselves apart.

In 1998, a small group of these businesses therefore came together with a common aim: to create a trade body for the emerging security shredding industry to incorporate high standards and set the benchmark in terms of safety and security. This was how the United Kingdom Security Shredding Association (UKSSA) was born.

The same year, the new Data Protection Act was introduced into UK law, creating new requirements for personal data to be disposed of in a safe and secure way.

Fast forward to the present day and security shredding has become a mainstay of modern business and public sector activities, with strict requirements in place to ensure all personal data is destroyed in a safe and secure way in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

To read the full article in the June 2023 edition of Recovered Fibre News, click here to register for free.