When it comes to documents and resources that have been relevant or useful to you or your company in the past, the concept of ?destruction? may seem uneasy. Many people are natural pack-rats, who feel the need to save everything that comes into their possession. Some people may develop sentimental value for objects or items that become integrated into a routine for them; memos, weekly reports, sales information, receipts, and inventories, and other itemized lists are all examples of documents that people may save because of extracurricular significance they have.

One reason these documents aren't as readily discarded as others may be that, on the surface, they don't contain as much vital or private information as documents that contain social security numbers, private customer or patient information, credit card bills, and copies of checks.

However, what you as a responsible 3rd party must do is find a balance between appealing to some sort of sentimental company value for documents and seriously considering the benefits of using a mobile shredding service to destroy documents no longer needed.

What's necessary, and what's not

In the long run, any document that holds information no longer referenced or relevant should be discarded and shredded for the benefit of you and your customer. If, however, we allow for a little free-spirited, sentimental pack-ratting of documents, there are key elements you must avoid saving:

?any personal or private information about employees or customers

?credit card numbers

?copies of checks, money orders, or other bank transactions or information

?social security numbers

?expense reports

?any insurance information

?medical information

?any letters, documents, or memos containing expressly confidential information

While much of the above may seem ?obvious? examples of documents that should be destroyed and shredded, it is important to remember a considerable amount of exploitation and identity theft can be executed from a relatively small amount of information contained within documents and papers that appear innocuous. If you ever find yourself holding onto a document for reasons other than absolute necessity, consider how the information in the document could be compromised, and be sure no information contained in the document fits the the description of information that could be detrimental if saved.

Solutions for those who like to paper

One way to help rein in your responsible pack-ratting ways is to employ scanning and digital documentation as a way to "keep" your personally valuable documents without leaving them vulnerable to identify thieves in paper form. By creating a digital copy of documents you want to hang on to and storing them safely on a computer hard drive only you can access, you can shred the hard copies and properly dispose of them without worrying about the information being compromised.