Burn bag

[1][2] Burn bags are generally associated with US governmental organizations like the CIA and NSA, due to the classified nature of their work.

Burn bags are mostly used to satisfy destruction of articles pursuant under Executive Order 12958 section 1.4, in part: Classified information must fall under one of the following categories: 1.4 (a) Military plans, weapons systems, or operations; 1.4 (b) Foreign government information; 1.4 (c) Intelligence activities, sources or methods or cryptology; 1.4 (d) Foreign relations or foreign activities of the United States including 1.4 (e) Scientific, technological or economic matters relating to national security; 1.4 (f) United States Government programs for safeguarding nuclear materials or facilities; 1.4 (g) Vulnerabilities or capabilities of systems, installations, projects or plan relating to the national security; or, 1.4 (h) weapons of mass destruction The order was subsequently replaced by Executive Order 13526.

Due to environmental concerns and the high value of recycled paper, institutions that generate large amounts of classified material tend to securely desensitize their data in disintegrators with a 3/32" NSA/DOD approved top-secret screen.

Overseas military outposts and diplomatic missions frequently have emergency disposal procedures in place for the rapid burning of classified materials.

However, due to the possibility that shredded material can be reconstructed, and recent increases in identity theft and corporate espionage, some services have started to offer destruction by burning instead of disposal into landfills.