Secure Shredding for the New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR CENTRAL TEXAS!

We here at CT Shredding are excited to bring in the new year.  We hope to accomplish many new goals in 2012 and make a lasting impression in the secure shredding and recycling world.  Since our start in 2006, we have achieved each growth benchmark set before us, and we are confident that 2012 will be just as progressive.  Thank you all for not only making 2011 a great year, but making 2012 a year to look forward to!

Let's get 2012 started with a bang.  We are going to significantly lower our pricing to help everyone prepare for the new year, and shred their old files.  Whether you have 50 boxes or just 1, we will reduce our costs to help you shred! 

Our recycling center will also be working just as hard to increase efficiency throughout the holiday season and into 2012.  If you have any questions or would like to learn more about our services, please inquire here.

Thank you Central Texas!

Our Volunteers for Extreme Makeover Home Edition!

Hello everyone and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!  This holiday season has all of us here at Central Texas Shredding and Recycling in a very giving and cheerful mood.  Last week, we volunteered our services to help with the Extreme Makeover Home Edition project in Bastrop county.  We had a lot of fun and would like to share some of our photos with you. 

But first and foremost, THANK YOU to all of the volunteers and participants who lended a hand over the 7 day build. It means so much for that family to have thier home rebuilt for Christmas.  Also thank you to Habitat of Humanity for building a number of other homes in the same community.  It's work like this that really makes a difference in the world. Thank you!

 

What should you shred before tossing in the trash?

Tax information & returns	There is a three year statute of limitation for your taxes.  Therefore, you need to keep documents that support items on your tax returns for those three years. Each year you can throw out the three year old documents, but you should keep copies of tax returns forever.	Shred!
Investment records & statements	Investment records must be kept to support your tax returns. Documentation of purchases and sales must be kept for three years past when you report the sale on your tax return.	Shred!
Bank statements & canceled checks	You should keep canceled checks that support any tax deductions and any that you think may come in handy. Otherwise, canceled checks can take up a lot of space. Bank statements are a bit different. You may want to keep them for some period (three years or so) so you can document your payments for important items.	Shred!
Paycheck stubs	These documents can include very important information including Social Security number and financial institution account numbers if you use direct deposit. You may need to have the last three month's stubs if you are planning to apply for a loan.	Shred!
ATM receipts	Keep ATM receipts until you have compared them with your bank statement. Then dispose of them carefully.	Shred!
Credit card statements	Even though there is no requirement to keep these statements, you may want to save them for some period (a year) in case there is a dispute, you want to return an item or if you want to be able to analyze your spending.	Shred!
Credit card receipts	Generally keep receipts until you have compared them to your credit card statement. However, if the receipt is for something that you may want to return, keep it longer.	Probably shred
Utility bills and other household receipts	Unless you are claiming household expenses as tax deductions, there is no need to keep these types of records very long. You can always use a canceled check to document payment.	Probably safe to toss in trash.
Warranties	Keep warranties for as long as you own the item or until the warranty period expires.	Probably safe to toss in trash.
Insurance	Insurance policies and claims information should be kept for as long as the policy remains in effect.	Shred!
Home financial information	Deeds, mortgages and information on home improvements should be kept for as long as you own the home plus the three year period for tax purposes.	Shred!

Documents to keep forever include wills, powers of attorney, birth certificates, marriage documents, divorce or child care orders, trust documents, business agreements, and military records.

Computer hard drives deserve special attention. Hard drives may have information on finances, taxes, user names, passwords and other information that should not fall into the hands of fraudsters. Deleting files and formatting a hard drive does not permanently remove the files from the system. Before disposing, recycling or donating a PC, the hard drive should be removed and physically destroyed.

Information sourced from BB&T

November 15th is America Recycles Day

November 15th is America Recycles Day, a celebration of recycling endeavors and environmental stewardship.  We encourage all of you to participate in recycling, in which ever state you may be in. Below are some links to the main promotional site where you can join an event, find a recycling center, and take the pledge to recycle. Thank you!

• Join an Event!

• Find a Recycling Center!

• Take the Recycling Pledge!

Data Loss Statistics by Type

http://www.ausdirectory.org/

Alarming Trends for Businesses in 2011

Recent reports and data loss surveys indicate alarming trends for businesses in 2011.  More than 42% of individuals are worried that the information they have posted online.  Failure to keep personal data and other confidential information safe can lead to serious reputational damage, costly legal action, and a loss of trust within an organization.  Public and private concern over data loss has increased significantly in the past few years as the fines and structural damage to businesses and personal finances are amplified.   “In 2011 over 50% of the 250 companies surveyed had lost business-critical data,” says Cibec’s CEO, Richard Dewing.   

High-tech security is more of an elevated priority peripheral to daily operations, especially since Wiki-leaks emerged alongside other high profile loss examples from mislaid flash drives and laptops, to hackers stealing proprietary information.  Equally important, however, is the security surrounding the paper copies of financial and operational data.  Data loss occurs electronically, but it also occurs in the theft or misplacement of actual paperwork due to employee negligence.  If adequate measures for security are imposed, they should address technological, physical, and human risks, as well as the managerial structures that are required to support the right behaviors within a business environment.

Detecting incidents requires a compilation of tools. Software can be utilized to identify the accidental sending of electronic data to the wrong parties, but discovering whether an employee has mistakenly left hard copies somewhere is a more difficult task.  It is better to be sure that the documents are destroyed, or in a safe place.  Our secure destruction bins are locked and easy to use.  They stop the threat of information discovery or theft.  Once an incident has been detected, management should act appropriately and quickly to contain, recover, and reduce damage. 



What You Should Keep When Your Paperwork Piles Up!

*Paperwork can pile up, especially during certain times of the year.  Whether it’s from filing your taxes, budgeting in the 4^th quarter, downsizing, or expanding on any level, a lot of proprietary and personal information is laid out on the table.  There are some things you need to keep safe, and some that need to be securely destroyed.  This is an outline of what to keep for a homeowner, specifically around tax time. 

*Preparation for tax filing starts with gathering up all of your documents, files, statements, receipts, and related paperwork.  Upon completion of that heinous 1040 form, you are left with piles of paper that may or may not need to be kept.  If you are unsure as to whether you should dispose of certain forms, scan them into your computer and then shred the documents through a secure service provider.

*The documents that you should keep throughout your lifetime deal primarily with your residence, insurance, and upkeep.  The most important documents for a homeowner are the HUD-1 statement, promissory note, deed, and mortgage.

*You should also keep copies of invoices for major repairs, capital improvements and additions. Hold on to the receipts for home improvement items like appliances and furniture.  Warranties should be retained for the life of those warranties plus your state's statute of limitations for breach of contract.

*For homeowners, this information is vital.  Again, if you are in doubt about what to keep, scan the items and then shred them!

*Article Sourced From The Washington Post

Will a Successful Composting Program Come to Central Texas?

Portland, much of the West Coast, and a few major cities are at the forefront of successful and economcially viable composting programs.  The City of Austin is slowly but surely moving towards this concept. They are currently involved in several pilot programs with local restaurants and organics collectors.  More information will be known about the success of the program in two months. 

Progressive Waste Solutions, our parent company, is very interested in improving sustainability efforts in Central Texas.  Many belive that the future of the waste industry will be recycling based energy production, utilizing organic matter and alternative energy to generate new products and dispose of old materials.  Whatever the case may be, it is an exciting future.  Central Texas Secure Shredding will be there every step of the way, helping business to recycle and protect their information with our specially designed process.

New Containers Improve Disposal Efficiency

We have several container options and multiple frequencies of service available. Your schedule will always fit ours!

For desk-side document disposal, we recommend our 37" console.  It fits securly underneath most work spaces, is great for home offices, and holds up to 75 lbs of paper. This is a stable answer for document security uncertainty.

For larger offices, clinics, or schools, we recommend the 65 gallon cart, capable of holding 150 lbs of paper material.  This cart can be easily transported from office to office, and is locked to ensure security.  This particular cart is recommended for for law offices, schools, clinics, and municipalities.

Our largest container, the 95 gallon cart, can hold up to 200 lbs of paper material.  This cart is just as mobile, secure, and durable as the 65 gallon model.   If you would like to be an on-call customer, the 95 gallon cart may be a better choice for your office.  The size of the container would ensure space for excess documents, and eliminate over flow issues.

We hope this was a helpful explanation of our container sizes and uses. Please contact us for more information and pricing.

Silent Auction Benefiting Breast Cancer Research

Tonight, we will be attending the Be Brave and Fight Like A Girl party to support breast cancer research and Heal-In-Comfort.com. We submitted a $150.00 gift certificate to the silent auction held during the event, and we encourage all of our followers to attend the party tonight, celebrating life and survival.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE EVENT:

Austin's breast cancer patients need your support! 
♥ Free parking at Dick's Sporting Goods
♥ Snacks, Wine, Cocktails, Dessert, Live Music, Silent Auction. 
Our Be BRAVE and FIGHT like a GIRL Party will provide post operative equipment for women after surgery in their battle against breast cancer. Mastectomies HURT! 
Women need help when they get home. See where your money goes! We will be providing for BCRC (Breast Cancer Resource Center) of Austin and Seton Medical Center. Women deserve to heal in comfort and dignity. When a sprained elbow gets more equipment than a woman who lost her breasts in the battle against cancer something needs to change. 
Your gift of $25 dollars will go to providing for our women and men in Austin...yes, men can get breast cancer too. Please let me know if you have a silent auction item.

LOCATION:

The Fiat Dealership in the Domain

11011 Domain Drive, Suite 124,

Austin, TX

Doctor Fined $40K for Dumping Patient Records

In the Summer of 2010, Dr. Ervin Batchelor of the Carolina Center for Development and Rehabilitation, was fined for the improper disposal of thousands of patients' files. The files were not shredded and contained personal information.  Dr. Batchelor has now paid $40,000 as a fine, according to a statement released in 2011 by the North Carolina Attorney General's Office.

His sons illegally disposed of over 1,000 patient files by dumping them in a recycling bin in June of 2010 during a move from one office to another.  The 25 boxes of information were discoverd by the employees at the West Mecklenburg Recycling Center.

Officials said the files contained info for 1,600 people with data such as: names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, drivers' license numbers, insurance account numbers, and health information.

Many of the records were from 2007-2009.  By law, in North Carolina, medical providers are required to keep patient records for at least six years before discarding them.  State law also requires when records are to be discarded, they should be shredded to protect patient privacy.

"Any business you entrust with your information has a duty to keep it safe," Attorney General Roy Cooper said. "Sensitive financial and health information should never be carelessly dumped, putting customers and patients at risk of identity theft."  The Attorney General's office says medical records also face additional restrictions under federal health privacy laws, such as HIPPA and HITECH.

If you come across a business improperly discarding files containing someone's personal information, call 1-877-5-NO-SCAM.



September is Recycle Glass Month!

Need to recycle in Central Texas? Contact us here, or contact our affiliate, Progressive Waste Solutions.

We recycle all of the major materials every day.  If you need secure document destruction and shredding, or would like to participate in single stream commercial or residential recycling, we would be more than happy to help you go green!

Resources Saved Through Our Recycling Efforts

In the first half of 2011, we recycled 445 tons of paper.  This has allowed us to save 7,565 trees, 3,115,000 gallons of water, 1,824,500 KW hours of electricity, 1,424 cubic yards of landfill space, and stopped the creation of 21,453 lbs of air pollution. 

Our single-stream recycling efforts with both residential and commercial customers are helping us shape a brighter future. To start recycling your plastics, paper, cardboard, aluminum, and glass, please call us or contact  Progressive Waste Solutions.

We pride ourselves on the impact we create through recycling, and we would love to show you how it works.  If you would like to drop off documents to be shredded and recycled, or if you would just like to witness our recyling process, please call or email to schedule and appointment.

Wildfires in Texas Disaster Relief

If you would like to donate to the relief effort, the red cross link is below.  We extend our heartfelt condolences to those who have lost their homes due to the fires across Texas. If you would like to donate to the relief effort, the red cross link is here, or you can click the picture above.  Thank you. :http://bit.ly/oI2dBr

Baled Recyclables from CT Shredding and Recycling!