2010 Census LUCA Program: Procedures for Returning or Destroying Title 13 Materials

U.S. Department of Commerce

Procedures for Returning or Destroying Title 13 Materials

Returning Title 13 Materials

Double wrap all Title 13 materials. This includes your original CD-ROM and all paper copies and backup files of the Census Bureau’s Address List.

Label both sides of the inner envelope or wrapping with the disclosure notice as shown below and in Appendix C:

“This Package Contains U.S. Census Bureau Address Information: DISCLOSURE PROHIBITED BY Title 13 U.S.C.”

Do not label the outer envelope with the disclosure notice.

Address all envelopes, mailing boxes, mailing tubes, etc. to:

ATTN: GEOGRAPHY (LUCA)
U.S. Census Bureau
Address for your Census Bureau Regional Census Center

Destroying Title 13 Materials

Only those individuals who signed the Confidentiality Agreement Form are permitted to destroy the materials.

Never deposit Census Bureau confidential materials in a trash or recycle container before destruction.

Store the materials in a secure area in a container labeled “document destruction container” until they are destroyed.

The destruction process must prevent recognition or reconstruction of the paper or computer-readable information. Use one of the following methods to destroy census confidential materials:

Shredding.
Chemical decomposition.
Pulverizing (such as, hammer mills, choppers, etc.).
Burning (only in a facility approved by the Environmental Protection Agency).
Clear magnetic media (tapes, disks, hard drives) containing Census Bureau address information before reuse. To clear, overwrite all Title 13 data a minimum of three times using a commercial disk utility program or degauss using a commercial degausser.
Clear diskettes by running a magnetic strip of sufficient length to reach all areas of the disk over and under each surface a minimum of three times. If the information cannot be destroyed as suggested, the disk must be damaged in an obvious manner to prevent use in any disk drive unit and discarded.
Destroy CD-ROMs and DVDs using a commercial grade shredder, suitable for rendering them unusable; or cut them up with scissors in an obvious manner to prevent use in a drive unit.
Note: Hand tearing or burying information in a landfill are unacceptable methods of disposal.

If you have questions regarding the destruction of Title 13 confidential address materials, contact your Census Bureau Regional Census Center.