What must go in but can’t come out?

The answer is confidential information on paper – into the confidential waste containers in council offices.

Despite previously issuing advice to staff concerning the overfilling of confidential waste containers this remains an ongoing issue.

Confidential waste containers are being overfilled with both confidential waste and non-confidential waste. The consequence is that confidential material can be removed and read by unauthorised persons.What can you do to help?It is the responsibility of all staff to ensure that sensitive and personal information they generate is disposed of securely.

Follow these simple steps to ensure that you are disposing of confidential waste correctly:

•If you have information that could cause harm or distress if disclosed to unauthorised persons, this should be disposed of as confidential waste.

•If you have information that could identify living individuals, this should be disposed of as confidential waste.

•If you have a secure confidential waste container in your building do not overfill it – instead locate another secure confidential waste container in your building that is not already full.

•If you have non-confidential waste i.e. information that could not cause harm or distress if disclosed to unauthorised persons and cannot identify living individuals, this should NOT be disposed of into confidential waste but should be recycled through the council’s own trade waste collections.

•Do NOT use any unofficial or unapproved containers for temporary storage of confidential waste. Always place confidential waste directly into an authorised/approved container.

•If you are in any doubt as to whether certain information is confidential or not please dispose of as confidential waste.

•If you have any other types of media that require to be destroyed e.g. microfiche, old USB drives, CDs/DVDs, etc. please contact Isla Clark through aberdeenshire@shredit.com

•For bulk clear outs of confidential material where bags have been supplied these must be secured once full and before uplift. Bags must never be left unsecured in any area at any time.

•Confidential uplifts can be arranged directly by emailing aberdeenshire@shredit.com. A financial code will be required.