The University Records Center provides secure confidential disposal services for paper documents that need to be destroyed. ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ may use this service to securely destroy confidential or sensitive records that have met their retention requirements and are no longer needed.
Eligible Records
Records that have exceeded their approved retention period may be:
- Destroyed by the department using a method that makes record recognition impossible, or
- Sent to the Records Center for secure destruction
ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ may dispose of records that are not confidential or sensitive through established recycling and wastepaper practices.
Preparing Records for Disposal
To prepare records for confidential disposal, departments should:
- Pack records in boxes no larger than a standard copy paper box
- Attach a green Form UM 176A: Records Destruction Label to the top of each box
- Remove any plastic binders, large clips or metal objects before sending documents for destruction.
- You do not need to remove rubber bands, staples or paper clips.
Proper labeling helps ensure records are handled and destroyed appropriately. See Records Center Supplies for information about obtaining the green destruction labels that must be taped to each box.
Scheduling Pickup
The Records Center provides daily destruction pickup service for university departments and clinics in the Columbia area. Each year, the Record Center destroys and recycles 250,000 to 450,000 pounds of paper. To schedule a pickup, email or contact us with the location for the pickup and the number of boxes that are ready for destruction.
- Email: centeru@umsystem.edu
- Phone: 573-882-7652
ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ outside Columbia may send records to the Records Center through campus courier service as space is available.