How should I handle confidential waste (document shredding)?

Choose a secure destruction process after deciding which records may legally be destroyed. Ordinary paper recycling does not replace retention and confidentiality checks.

What to check

1. Assign a records owner to approve destruction, including legal holds and contractual retention.
2. Use controlled-access storage and compare on-site destruction with a documented secure off-site process.
3. Ask who handles the records, how transport is secured and how missing containers or subcontractors are managed.
4. Keep date, material and method in a destruction record. A certificate supports the process but does not replace checking it.

Source context

OAIC explains destruction or de-identification for APP entities when information is no longer needed, subject to retention exceptions. Office of the Australian Information Commissioner: Guide to securing personal information.

Related resources

• How to Reduce Commercial Waste Costs
• Waste Audit Checklist

Related questions

• Where should waste bins be placed on commercial premises?
• What waste signage is required for commercial premises in Victoria?
• What are the rules for waste bin placement on nature strips or footpaths?
• What should I do if I smell gas or chemicals from my waste bin?

Sources

• Office of the Australian Information Commissioner — Guide to securing personal information. Part A section 5; destruction and de-identification. Checked 18 September 2026.