Confidential Shredding

The risk of sensitive information falling into the wrong hands is a continuous threat to the confidentiality, and integrity of Cal Poly information assets. Cal Poly employees are responsible for properly handling confidential data as described in the Information Classification and Handling Standard. The Record Retention and Disposition Standard can assist you to determine the period of time that a record/information shall be kept to ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. The following recommendations are to help you keep Cal Poly data secure through the disposition process:

The following recommendations are to help you keep Cal Poly data secure through the disposition process:

• Shred confidential information when it is no longer needed.
• Do not discard confidential data in the trash.
• Keep sensitive recyclable data separate, secure, and identified as confidential.
• Use a clearly marked, locking bin for central departmental storage of confidential information that will be shredded outside the department.
• Containers should be kept in a secure, non-public area.

What if your department doesn't have a shredder or centralized area?

• Purchasing a shredder for your office is the recommended best practice. There are many affordable options available on the market.
• Contact the Facilities Management & Development Help Center at 756-5555, facilities-cbs@calpoly.edu or Phileasha Cantu at pcantu@calpoly.edu to request a confidential shred pick up. Please note that all service requests must include contact information, location (building and room number), and total number of boxes.
• Confidential shred pick up is scheduled for most Wednesdays.
• Write confidential on the container holding the contents to be shred and tape the container closed. Each container should be 20 X 16 X 12 inches or smaller and should not exceed 40lbs. The common copy paper box is recommended. For the safety of employees boxes larger than this may not be picked up and may need to be re-boxed by the department.
• Store the confidential container in a secure, locked area until released to Facilities Management & Development personnel. A signature will be requested to ensure chain-of-custody requirements are met.
• Please do not include 3-ring binders with the documents, they cannot be shredded.

REMEMBER: Identity theft is on the rise, so it is important to treat other people’s information as if it was your own!