Shredding

The safe removal of old files and paperwork is an easy step towards the paperless office!

The handling of confidential waste must be compliant with data protection legislation and be performed to protect the reputation of your organisation.

The safest way to dispose of confidential paper is to have it shredded and recycled by a professional data destruction firm. At Topwood, we provide specialist commercial shredding services.

Where businesses are operating hybrid and flexible working, embracing best practices such as shred-all and clear desk policies can help manage shared workspaces more effectively and bringing a regular shredding service into play makes the process even easier.

Importantly, our data shredding services help improve information security and your move towards a paper-free office.

Are you looking for a competitive quote for a one-off clearance? Contact us now and we will provide a quote.

Do you have an existing supplier and are looking for a new service? Contact us to provide a like-for-like quote.

We can either shred on-site at your premises or collect for off-site shredding with our GPS-tracked fleet of vehicles, ensuring secure, efficient, and responsive service.y 

On-site shredding

On-site is in sight!

One of our high-security shred trucks can attend your offices or premises and we can shred on-site.

You can witness our high-speed shredders destroy all your material before it is removed from your workplace. When the destruction is complete, the shredded waste is removed from site and then, at our secure facility, the waste is ejected onto a conveyor and compacted into mill-sized bales for onward transfer to a UK paper mill.

On-site shredding

To work on-site, all Topwood shredding personnel are security vetted to BS7858 or above and are Safe Contractor trained and accredited.

Sign in

We collect the shredding

On-site Destruction

Confidential waste is shredded while you watch

Certificate of Destruction

The Driver confirms with e-receipt and Cert of Destruction

The Transfer

All shredded waste is removed from your site

Recycling

All waste is baled for recycling

Off-site Shredding

Our security-vetted staff collect confidential waste and load into approved vehicles for transit.

We will then shred it at our secure site and the shredded waste will be baled ready for recycling into useful paper products.

To work off-site all Topwood shredding personnel are security vetted to least BS7858 and are Safe Contractor trained and accredited.

Off-site shredding

To work on-site, all Topwood shredding personnel are security vetted to BS7858 or above, and are SafeContractor trained and accredited.

Collection

Secure Transfer

Off-site destruction

Certificate of Destruction

Recycling

Regularly scheduled shredding

The team at Topwood provides regular shredding services for the systematic destruction of confidential documents and data. A regular service can be either on-site shredding using our mobile service or off-site where we collect and destroy materials at our secure premises.

We supply clearly marked collection bins and containers for the safekeeping of sensitive information, away from prying eyes until the scheduled visit, as part of our regular shredding service. The frequency of visits and the number of containers is dependent on volume, but most visits are weekly, fortnightly or monthly.

For each collection, we record the weight, so the frequency and number of containers can be adjusted to account for changes in workplaces and ensure optimisation.

Following each visit, you will receive an e-receipt to confirm the details of the collection. You will also receive a Certificate of Destruction and Waste Transfer Note in .pdf to complete the audit trail.

On-site regular shredding with secure containers supports modern shared working practices, ensuring shred-all and clear desk policies are adhered to. A clear marked and secure waste stream provides an integrated chain of custody and ensures compliance with data protection laws.

One-off Bulk Clearance

As well as scheduled shredding, Topwood provides ad hoc and one-off shredding services. This can be just an annual bulk purge of archives or a complete clearance due to site closure, for example.

There are also cases where regular customers have higher volume than usual, for example when the end of a financial year archive storage is being cleared.

If you are relocating offices, purging obsolete documents, or just clearing your archive storage, Topwood has the capacity and expertise to facilitate any volume of shredding. We can also supply lidded skips, secure containers, lockable wheelie bins and shred sacks for the secure holding of confidential waste prior to its destruction.

Where confidential waste is already on pallets or in cages, we simply shred them as presented – we can even shred and recycle the archive boxes. One-off shredding is cost-effective, and we can quote by unit shredded or offer a fixed price. Speak to our team today to find your ideal solution.

High Security Shredding

Topwood shreds for hundreds of organisations across the North West, North Wales and West

Midlands, and has contracts with the MOD, MoJ and NHS.

With ISO 27001 accreditation (incorporating EN15713) and enhanced security vetting of staff, Topwood is certified to cross-cut shred ultra-sensitive documents to DIN 66399 Level P4 for these organisations. All services are compliant with EN15713 and all staff handling confidential waste are security vetted to BS7858. Our mobile shred fleet has a 100% cross-cut capability for high-security shredding too

Hard Drive and Media Destruction

Every organisation should have an end-of-life data disposal policy for its electronic media.

While many organisations trust degaussing as effect degaussing as the safest option for the disposal of data devices, including hard drives and media (including CDs, DVDs, X-rays, tapes, phones, tablets and similar mobile devices), it should be physically destroyed so any residual data will never be recovered.

Our shred trucks are fitted with separate hard drive shredders, which means the destruction

of media can be done at the same time as document shredding, or as part of a regular service.

Topwood can also destroy all such items off-site (where items are collected and shredded at Topwood’s secure premises). Whichever method is preferred, you will receive a Certification of Destruction, which can include a complete inventory of the items destroyed.

Data security risk assessments (DSIAs) and security audits have proven that end-of-life items of IT,

including WEEE (waste electronic electrical equipment), are highly likely to contain data. Even printers have memory that can have stored personal data remaining onboard, and should be disposed of through an auditable waste channel.

Our security-vetted staff can collect these items in GPS-tracked vehicles prior to their disintegration or granulation, either by Topwood or an ADISA-approved partner.

Product Destruction

In addition, for shredding confidential documents our industrial shredders also destroy all types of

materials. Whether you are looking to destroy products or packaging for brand protection, we have the security and equipment to protect your reputation.

The types for products we regularly destroy include:

  • Uniforms or branded workwear
  • Counterfeit and contraband and other items seized by HMRC / trading standards
  • Marketing and promotional materials
  • Defective products (QA rejected)
  • Packaging

During the destruction process, products are either shredded to render them useless, or rendered so

small that all identity is eliminated. Failing to destroy branded products could expose your premises, business and personnel to the risk of fraud and other crimes.

To ensure compliance with Waste Hierarchy regulations and to support Topwood’s zero waste-to landfill policy, all shredded material is recycled where possible.

Bins, Containers and Sacks

An estimated 85% of data security breaches are the result of staff negligence.

One of the best ways to prevent data breaches is a secure confidential waste channel, so unwanted prying eyes cannot access information on sensitive business documents.

Topwood provides lockable containers so unwanted documents can easily be discarded in the knowledge they are safe until the point of destruction.

The secure holding of unwanted confidential papers is a key link in a confidential waste stream.

Our range of confidential waste storage solutions includes secure consoles, lockable wheelie bins and

shred sacks that suit all size of businesses and whatever their disposal method.

Designed for discretion, the consoles blend with your office décor and become part of your office furniture. Clearly marked confidential waste consoles positioned around the workplace ensure staff have an easy-to-use and secure waste stream for the disposal of unwanted documents.

Notably, dual consoles can be supplied for the separate collection of documents and data media and lockable wheelie bins are available that are ideal in workspaces such as mail rooms, back-office archive stores, goods inwards etc. where higher volumes of paperwork may be disposed of.

Our range of secure containers is supplied free on loan as part of a regular shredding collection service. Wheelie bins can also be supplied in advance of planned bulk clearances and office purges.

Confidential waste sacks supplied by Topwood are either made of tough polypropylene woven nylon or strong twin-walled paper. For enhanced security, both types have a closure system.

Topwood polypropylene sacks are sealed with a security tag, whereas paper sacks have a peel-and-seal system for complete security. Each type of sack has particular merits, but both types have a capacity of 15kg and are a way to contain material prior to its destruction.

Our Staff – Your Security!

At Topwood, we have a trained, motivated and well-rewarded team that handles confidential waste. All the team are full-time employees and we do not use temporary or agency workers. Prior to employment at Topwood, candidates are security vetted to BS7858 (including DBS checks) for complete peace of mind.

In addition, all staff who attend customer sites display photo ID and wear a distinct branded uniform for added security.

Recycling

The shredded outcome from destroyed documents is graded and wrapped into one-tonne bales at Topwood.

We ensure you fulfil your duty of care under the waste regulations by transporting the bales to a UK paper recycling mill where the paper is pulped, and the fibres are recovered.

With a 100% success rate in getting shredded documents recycled into paper and paper-based products, we ensure you meet your sustainability objectives.

Topwood has a zero waste-to-landfill policy, where all products destroyed are compliant with the waste hierarchy.

We are trusted by…

Request a quote