LEGAL COMPLIANCE:
GEORGIA LAW SB 475... 
Fines up to $10,000 for discarding personal information without first shredding, erasing or modifying
HEALTH INFORMATION PORTABILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT (HIPAA)...
Civil penalities up to $25,000 per person per year and criminal penalties up to $250,000 and ten years in prison for failure to protect all medical records and other individually indetifiable health information.
GRAMM-LEACH-BLILEY ACT (GLBA)...
Civil penalties up to $1,000,000 for an individual and the lesser of $1,000,000 or 1% of the total assests of the financial institution ofr failure to insure the security and confidentiality of consumer customer records and information provided to obtain a financial product or service, in addition to protecting against anticipated threats or unauthorized use.
FAIR AND ACCURATE CREDIT TRANSACTIONS ACT OF 2003, SECTION 216...
Effective June 1, 2005. All owners of consumer information records will be required to "take reasonable steps to select and retain a service provider that is capable of properly disposing of the consumer information at issue; notify the service provider that such information is consumer infomation; and enter into a contract that requires the service provider to dispose of such information in accordance with this rule".
INDUSTRIAL ESPIONAGE...
Dumpster diving for competitive information is legal and is a more common practice than most realize. Stored records should be destroyed on a regular schedule...erratic records disposal practices can be viewed with suspicion in the event of litigation or audit.
RECYCLING IS NOT AN ADEQUATE ALTERNATIVE FOR INFORMATION DESTRUCTION...
Recycling companies use low wage, unscreened workers to sort intact (non-shredded) paper by type, then store until there is a sufficient amount to bale. Intact paper can then be sold to a paper mill for a higher price than shredded paper, leaving many opportunities and much time for documents to get into the wrong hands.
OFF-SITE SHREDDING CAN BE A RISKY ALTERNATIVE TO ON-SITE SHREDDING...
Accidents have happened in the transport of records to off-site shredding facilities, exposing sensitive records to the public domain. Moreover, off-site shredders can sell their paper to a recycler for a higher price if they sell it intact rather than shredded.
RECORDS STORAGE FIRMS SHOULD NOT PERFORM REGULAR SHREDDING SERVICES...
Too easy to mix what should be destroyed with what needs to be stored.
