How to Properly Dispose of Notary Supplies

As a notary public, you handle sensitive documents and materials that require the utmost security and confidentiality. However, there may come a time when you need to dispose of notary products, such as broken or expired notary stamps and embossers. Follow our simple guidelines below and ensure that you are abiding by state laws:

Don’t Just Throw Notary Supplies Away

While it might seem reasonable to throw expired notary products in the garbage, doing so can be very dangerous. When you treat notary supplies like regular trash, you leave yourself open to liability. Someone can easily find your product and use it to commit fraud or to steal your personal information.

Destroying Your Notary Stamp

,The easiest way to destroy a notary stamp is by removing the rubber at the bottom of the stamp body by digging underneath it with a knife, box cutter, scissors or any tool that lets you pry the rubber away from the stamp body. You can then use that tool or any sharp object and cut the rubber into pieces so that it can no longer be used. Once the rubber has been destroyed, you can discard the remains with your usual waste or check in with your local recycling facility.

Destroying Your Notary Embosser

To disassemble your embosser, you must remove the die plate. The die plate is what contains your embossed notary information. Because it is made of plastic, this might be more difficult to destroy than the rubber on a stamp. The quickest way to destroy the embosser die plate is by physically damaging it with a hammer or a different tool until it is no longer legible.

Remember to take appropriate safety precautions when using any of the above methods.

If your state has specific instructions on how to dispose of notary supplies that differ from those listed above, you can contact your state government’s notary division for more information. Links to each state’s notary website are listed on our state-by-state Notary FAQs page. But rest assured, destroying your broken or expired notary products is the most foolproof way to protect yourself and prevent notary fraud.

Have any other questions about how to dispose of your notary products? Feel free to contact All State Notary Supplies.