The AbilityOne Advantage

Secure Document Destruction

Since the theft of 26.5 million Social Security numbers from a Veterans Affairs computer in 2006, all departments and organizations within the federal government have been on heightened alert to identity theft and the need for secure document destruction. Paper document security is just as important as electronic: research shows that most identity thieves obtain information through traditional paper-based sources rather than electronic channels.

Local, regional and national coverage is available, all at a competitive price and schedule to fit your needs. A standardized, secure process verifies compliance with all federal laws and regulations. Our plant-based shredding ensures complete visual destruction—meaning no missed pieces. Best of all, we maintain long-term working relationships through exceptional customer service and the highest levels of security.

All participating nonprofits agencies are AAA-certified and members of the National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) and the Secure Document Alliance. We are prepared for rigid audits to ensure we comply with the strictest industry standards for secure document destruction compliance including FACTA, HIPPA, Gramm-Leach-Bliley, Sarbanes-Oxley, and other state, local industry regulations.

AbilityOne shreds paper to align with strict Internal Revenue Service requirements and passes inspections conducted by the internal IRS inspectors. Federal agencies such as the IRS and the Veterans Administration as well as hundreds of commercial banks, hospitals and other private enterprises trust AbilityOne’s secure document destruction services.

With AbilityOne, you can choose from mobile, on-site shredding where the actual shredder is mounted on a truck that visits the site(s) on a regularly-scheduled basis, or plant-based shredding. Also referred to as off-site shredding, this type of service usually features a large shredder and baler system at the plant facility. Customers are provided with locked bins to hold documents which are then collected on a specified day.

Bins remained locked as they are transferred to a secure truck. The trucks are tracked and monitored via GPS to ensure that their location is known at all times. As the service route is run, the AbilityOne nonprofit agency has the ability to determine if a truck is off the route or remains too long in a specific location. When the truck arrives at the plant, the bins are off-loaded into a secure area where the bin’s bar code is scanned, weighed, logged-in and attributed to the proper customer in the computer database.

The locked bins stay in secure, video-monitored areas until they are ready to be shredded, usually within 24 - 48 hours of pick-up. The area is monitored by a digital security system. Current practices provide 90 days of video back-up records. Future best practices will include a hosted video solution that provides a greater of measure of security. At the paper-shredding stage, bins are moved to the staging area and unlocked for the first and only time under the security of the video surveillance system.

Additionally, paper is co-mingled with other customers’ paper and placed on a sort table where people with significant disabilities sort the paper by paper grade. Paper is graded by the presence of color versus black and white. People with significant disabilities have proved adept the sort process and are not distracted by document color or content.

Sorting allows the agency to get maximum dollars for the paper which can offset the cost of secure shredding. An on-site shredding process does not allow for a separate sort. All paper is shredded into one low grade that yields a low recycled paper price.