Before you dispose of records
Before shredding paper or deleting emails, Word documents, PDFs, or other files created or received in connection with University of Oregon work, verify whether they are subject to retention requirements outlined in the University-wide Records Retention Schedule (RRS).
Records governed by the RRS must be retained for the specified duration and destroyed according to approved procedures.
Records Destruction Procedures
Digitization and disposal of paper
Paper records that have been successfully digitized may be disposed of only if the digitization process complies with Oregon Administrative Rule (OAR) 166-017-0035. This includes:
• Specific scanning resolutions
• Quality control procedures
• Verification steps to ensure accuracy and completeness
More detailed guidance is available here.
When to use locked shred bins or in-house shredders
Records eligible for disposal—including transitory or intermediary documents—must be shredded appropriately based on their content.
- Use locked Garten shred bins (or, on the Portland campus, locked Access shred bins) or P-4 level or higher crosscut office shredders for documents containing:
- Personally identifiable information (PII)
- Medical information
- Trade secrets
- Financial data
- Confidential information as defined by law (OAR 166-030-0060)
- Amber or Red Data (per UO Information Security Office)
- Use recycle bins for documents containing Green Data (low-risk), such as:
- Non-sensitive course or program materials
- Non-sensitive research data
- Directory information
Storage, digitization, and shredding services
Confidential Shred Bins – Eugene Campus
Records Management oversees the university’s contract with Garten Services for confidential shredding.
To request a bin, schedule a pickup, or remove a bin:
- Email: eugeneshred@garten.org
- Phone: (541) 868-1550 ext. 3700
- Identify yourself as a UO unit/department
Pricing:
- $70 minimum per pickup (covers up to 184 lbs)
- $0.38 per additional pound (up to 499 lbs)
Schedule pickups when bins are ¾ full to stay within the minimum charge.
Confidential Shred Bins – Portland Campus
Access provides shredding services for the Portland campus.
For service requests and pricing:
- Email: records@uoregon.edu
- Phone: (541) 346-5508
Records storage & scanning services
UO Records Management offers storage and scanning services for both Eugene and Portland campuses.
To initiate a request: Complete the Records Management Service Request Form
Device disposal
When retiring devices like laptops or cell phones, follow university guidelines for surplus property disposal and device sanitization to protect sensitive data.Learn more: Surplus Property Disposal Guidelines