What is a certificate of destruction?
A certificate of destruction is a numbered document a shredding company gives its client as proof that the client's material was destroyed, with when, how and by whom.
Why clients ask for one
Businesses that handle personal, financial or health information need to show they disposed of it properly. The certificate is the record they keep to show that, and it's often what an auditor or a client's compliance team asks for first.
For the shredding company, it's also the product clients remember: the proof that the job was done.
What's on it
A unique number, the shredding company's name, the client and service address, the date and time of destruction, the method (on-site or off-site), what was destroyed and how much, and who destroyed it. Some include a witness signature.
For off-site shredding, the certificate is issued after the material is destroyed at the plant, and a pickup receipt covers the time in between.
Keeping certificates trustworthy
Number them in one sequence, keep a copy of every certificate, and never quietly edit one after it's issued. If something was wrong, issue a corrected version and keep the original.
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