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Identity theft is a rampant crime that continues to grow in Canada. It's a notorious activity that chooses no age. Even children could fall victim to it.

Unfortunately, even safe spaces like schools could also be targets of thieves since they contain various essential data. Such data, like personal information and social security numbers, could help a crook open fraudulent accounts and maliciously impersonate someone.

That's why schools should discard old files properly. Doing so helps prevent a student's sensitive information from being an accessory to any wrongdoing.

After knowing when to destroy documents, don't just throw them away. Keep reading below to learn more about several of the best ways to safely dispose of school documents.

Disposing Digital Files

Deleting computer files is not enough to guarantee the total deletion of sensitive information.

One of the easiest ways to eliminate digital school records is by overwriting the storage media. Overwriting means replacing the targeted data with a new one on all memory locations. Simply put, a new file will take an old file's place in the database, deleting it entirely from the system.

The only downside of overwriting is that it may take a long time to do it for the entire drive. Plus, if done incorrectly, some files will still be recoverable.

Meanwhile, degaussing is another helpful method for disposing of any electronic records. It involves a device called degausser, which completely purges storage media. The degausser helps reduce the magnetic fields of hard disks, making data unrecoverable and the drive unusable.

However, it's important to note that degaussing causes irreparable damage to hard disks. So avoid using it if you want to reuse your storage media.

Disposing Physical Documents

Schools can manually destroy their physical copies of documents in many ways. For instance, they can burn or melt hard drives until they become unusable.

Meanwhile, they can go with paper shredding if they have hard copies. It's one of the best disposal methods to get rid of physical documents.

Most practices for discarding physical copies make data unidentifiable and useless to any malicious individual. Unfortunately, some of them are not exactly efficient. For example, schools must secure locations and materials to destroy hard drives. Plus, they need to invest a lot of time working on shredders to discard all paper records.

In addition, most junk hard disks and shredded paper end up in landfills instead of recycling bins. It's unfortunate, considering people can recycle metal and paper multiple times to create new products.

Sadly, the more we throw out reusable waste, like paper and metal, the more we require newer landfills. Landfills emit methane from decomposing materials, which significantly harms the environment.

In Canada alone, landfills are responsible for a quarter of the country's methane emissions.

Fortunately, data destruction companies in major Canadian cities, like Toronto and Cambridge, dedicate their services to more efficient document waste management. They provide off-site and on-site document destruction, from shredding services to discarding damaged hard drives. Plus, they ensure that the waste goes straight to recycling professionals. That means they help secure vital information and save the environment, too.

Contact Absolute Destruction for a Reliable Shredding Service

Data destruction is essential, especially in places with vital records that crooks could use for identity theft. Knowing the best practices in discarding files helps protect anyone from a heinous crime.

Protect all sensitive information by contacting the professionals at Absolute Destruction. Absolute Destruction provides secure document destruction, like shredding services in Toronto or all over Ontario. Contact our professionals today and discard those files with expert care!

Absolute Destruction caters to all residential and commercial clients seeking secure document disposal. Contact us today for on-site or off-site document paper shredding and data destruction.

FAQs on Safely Dispose of Your School's Old Documents

How long should schools keep student records?

Generally, schools should keep student records for as long as seven to eight years before discarding or destroying them.

What's the best way to discard essential documents without a shredder?

Pulping documents is one of the best alternatives for discarding vital physical documents. This method involves soaking physical records in water mixed with bleach for a day.

How do identity thieves use a child's sensitive information?

In some cases, crooks could easily open fraudulent financial accounts using a child's information since most underage individuals don't have credit reports. Sadly, kids won't find out their names have been used until they apply for credit when they get older.