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Who is Metro Shredding?
(back
to top) Metro Shredding is member of Hudson
Community Enterprise’s family of social ventures.
It is a non-profit, mobile shredding company dedicated to providing
members of the community with special needs the opportunity to increase
self-esteem and self-reliance while gaining valuable work experience.
It offers secure and reliable mobile shredding services on a
scheduled or one-time basis in the Hudson County area. Make no mistake,
Metro’s employees provide dependable and thorough services. To them,
this job is more than just a paycheck.
Metro gladly invites you to compare it to its competition. Most
importantly, all of Metro Shredding's
profits go back to the community by funding Hudson Community
Enterprise’s (Metro’s parent company) vocational and job preparation
programs. By doing business with Metro, you will be
contributing to your community in a meaningful and real way. Are people with special needs able to do the job
to my satisfaction?
(back
to top) Absolutely.
According to the National Organization on Disability: 1.
People with disabilities have equal or
higher job performance ratings, higher retention rates and lower
absenteeism. 2.
People with disabilities are better
educated than ever, and are proven to have met and/or exceeded challenges. 3.
People with disabilities are motivated by
the desire to give something back, and opportunities for personal growth,
job flexibility and social inclusion. Why is shredding important?
(back
to top) All organizations discard information that
is confidential to the operation of the organization, to its customers
and/or to its employees. This includes customer lists, price lists, sales
information, bids, letters, memos and more. All of these contain
information that would interest any competitor. In addition, many
companies have a policy that stipulates that when a document reaches a
certain age, all duplicates be destroyed except one. This reduces
information leaks and storage costs. Safeguards are necessary to keep this information
secure so it doesn’t end up in the wrong hands.
Needless to say, in the wrong hands, sensitive information can
wreak havoc. Identity theft,
corporate espionage, etc., have become serious concerns.
Any organization that does not have safety measures in place (such
as shredding services) exposes itself to the risk of criminal and civil
prosecution, as well as the costly loss of business. What
are the main reasons companies are destroying and/or keeping tighter
controls on information (HIPAA and Gramm Leach Bliley)? (back
to top) The major reasons are security and
privacy: corporate security,
individual privacy, etc. Today,
many organizations are required to comply with new legislation effecting
healthcare and financial institutions.
These are the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
and the Gramm Leach Bliley Act (GLB) respectively.
Even if organizations are not required to comply with this
legislation, they are increasingly concerned about protecting sensitive
information and the legal ramifications if the do not. HIPAA was passed in 1996. It defines requirements for access to and storing of patient
information. It is designed
to protect confidential information through improved security standards
and federal legislation. Health plan and healthcare providers were
required to be in compliance by April 14, 2003.
For more information, go online to http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa. The GLB Act was signed in 1999 and ensures that “financial institutions” respect the privacy of their customers and protect the security and confidentiality of consumer financial information (nonpublic personal information) collected when an individual obtains a “financial product or
service.” The FTC chose to
retain a broad definition of “financial institution,” “nonpublic
personal information,” and “financial product or service.”
For example, the definition of financial institution encompasses
retail sellers of goods if they assist consumers in obtaining credit or
extend credit themselves (automobile dealerships for example). Financial
institutions were required to be in compliance by July 1, 2001.
For more information, go online to http://www.senate.gov/~banking/conf/
or http://www.sec.gov/rules/final/34-42974.htm. What kinds of organizations are impacted by HIPAA
and the GLB?
(back
to top) As required by Congress, HIPAA effects
health plans, healthcare clearinghouses, doctors, hospitals, nursing
homes, all of which maintain health information pertaining to individuals.
The GLB Act effects financial institutions including banks, credit
unions, securities brokers, real estate appraisers, insurance companies,
automobile leasing companies, companies that operate travel agencies in
connection with financial services, retailers that issue their own credit
cards directly to consumers, and any other entity that is “significantly
involved in financial activities.” Why should stored records be destroyed on a
regular basis?
(back
to top) Each organization must be knowledgeable
about its legal responsibilities. They must also ascertain how long
information is useful to them. For many governmental organizations, a
record retention schedule must be followed.
All of these factors determine the length of time records should be
kept and on what basis records should be destroyed. Today, many organizations are hiring
records managers to direct the sticky issue of record maintenance,
privacy, and the associated legal issues.
These managers are responsible for implementing comprehensive
records management/privacy procedures that adhere to all legal
requirements for privacy. This
reduces their risk considerably. As
part of their program, records managers are establishing document
destruction schedules. They know that from a risk management perspective, the only
safe method of discarding stored records is to destroy them by a method
that ensures the complete obliteration of information (shredding).
Documenting the exact date that a record is destroyed is also a
recommended legal precaution. Metro Shredding will only shred documents
that have reached the expiration period as stipulated by the
organization’s records management policy. Why can’t I just throw the records away in a
trashcan or dumpster?
(back
to top) Dumpster diving has practically become a
pastime for those in the business of identity theft and corporate
espionage. Your records will no doubt provide material from which these
thieves can extract great value. Your potential exposure is great, from a
legal point of view (if you are required to comply with HIPAA or GLB) and
from an operational point of view. The
only way to minimize your risk is to securely collect and obliterate the
records…to shred them. Couldn't my own employees shred my documents?
(back
to top) Could they? Yes. Should they? No. Sensitive material such as payroll information, employee information and legal information should not be entrusted to employees to destroy. In addition, standard office shredders do not have the capacity to shred substantial amounts of paper and other material. They average about 10 documents at a time and all paper clips, binder clips, rubber bands, etc. must be removed. What’s more, they constantly jam. Our shredder is 30-50 times faster. In a nutshell, legal liability, security, privacy issues, employee theft, identity theft, corporate and industrial espionage and the costs associated with running your own shredding operation make it risky. Since the objective of shredding information is to reduce risk, it just does not make sense to do it in-house. What kinds of documents are usually shredded? (back to top)
Does
Metro Shredding supply locked containers to store my material in until I
am ready for a pickup? (back
to top) Yes. We have several containers from which
you can choose. All of them are secure and have an opening to deposit
material. What if I only need to use shredding services one
time?
(back
to top) Metro Shredding can help you if you need a
one-time service or we can put you on a daily, weekly, semi-monthly,
monthly or bi-monthly schedule. What happens to the material after it is
destroyed?
(back
to top) The paper that is destroyed is sent to a
recycling plant or paper mill. Do
I have to remove rubber bands, staples, paper clips or other types of
paper fasteners? (back
to top) No. How
is the pricing for a one-time project different from the pricing for
scheduled pick-ups? (back
to top) Metro Shredding charges an hourly rate for
both one-time service and scheduled pick-ups.
Discounts are given for increased number of scheduled pick-ups. For some projects, a time study on a
representative sampling is conducted to more accurately determine the
scope of a project. Once the
time study is complete, a proposal is created and submitted to the
customer. How do I contact you?
(back
to top) Call us or e-mail us, whichever is more
convenient for you. Our phone
number is 866-324-3337 and our e-mail address is
info@metroshredding.com.
68-70 Tuers Avenue
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The
Natural “Metro Shredding represents an important step for Hudson Community Enterprises in building a family of small enterprises that will enable our special needs clients to become more self-sufficient and live fuller lives,” said Maureen Walliser, president of Hudson Community Enterprises. |
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