Why the certificate matters
Under UK GDPR you must be able to show that personal data was disposed of securely. When equipment leaves your building, the Certificate of Data Destruction is your evidence. If a laptop turns up on an auction site, the certificate is what you will be asked for.
What a proper certificate includes
- Your organisation's name and the collection address and date.
- A unique certificate or job reference that matches the Waste Transfer Note.
- An itemised manifest: every device and drive, with make, model and serial number.
- The method used for each item: software erasure to NIST 800-88 or physical shredding.
- The outcome for each item: erased and reused, shredded, or recycled.
- A signature from the company that carried out the work.
Warning signs
- A single line such as "40 hard drives destroyed" with no serial numbers.
- No method stated, or vague wording like "data removed".
- A certificate issued before the equipment has even been processed.
- The collector cannot say where your equipment is processed, or passes it to an unnamed subcontractor.
Erased or destroyed?
Certified data destruction does not always mean shredding. A drive wiped and verified to NIST 800-88 is safe to reuse, and reuse funds free collection. Failed, very old or particularly sensitive drives are shredded. Either way, each one should be listed on the certificate.
Every Byebyte collection comes with a signed certificate and a serial-number manifest. Read more on our data destruction services page or our hard drive destruction page.
Book a free collection
Call 020 3432 4511 (Monday to Friday, 8am – 6pm) or book a collection online. Tell us roughly what you have and where it is, and we will confirm a date.
