The newest primer on Secure Destruction provides detailed instruction on how to enroll and participate in Secure Destruction (SD).
Each year USPS returns over 1.2 billion pieces of Undeliverable-As-Addressed (UAA) First-Class Mail to mailers. SD was designed to reduce handling costs and protect privacy protected information (PPI). SD is still free to mailers!
Secure Destruction can only apply to letter and flat sized First-Class Mail.
Secure Destruction Mail is processed at forty-five Mail Processing Plants located across the country. Forty-three sites handle letters and fifteen of those sites also manage the flat mail destruction. There are an additional two sites that handle only First-Class Flats. You can find the list of sites by ZIP provided here on PostalPro.
Mail destined for destruction may be intercepted through mail processing, or returned through the carrier operations.
In order to participate in Secure Destruction you must meet the below requirements:
- Mail must be First-Class
- Mail must bear an Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb) containing a Secure Destruction Service Type ID (STID)
- Barcode must be readable
- Mailers must be enrolled in Secure Destruction Mail Service Program
- A printed ancillary service endorsement is optional for First-Class Mail when using an IMb
If the barcode cannot be read and there is no printed endorsement, the mail will be treated as unendorsed, with the default treatment being to forward or return with no additional postage paid and no separate address correction notice.
There are five steps to enroll in Secure Destruction:
- Make sure you are using an IMb on all pieces
- You must use an ACS account: SingleSource ACS, OneCode ACS, or Traditional ACS. If you don’t have an existing account, complete and submit the ACS enrollment form
- Link your ACS account with Electronic Product Fulfillment (EPF) completing the form.
- Enroll in the Secure Destruction program using the form provided.
- Very importantly determine which Secure Destruction STID you will use in your IMb.
-
- Not all Service levels are available for SD, the gray ones below are not. After you complete the registration and select the type of services you like USPS will provide you with the STIDs to use for the choices below in green.
