Glossary
Recycle bin
Also called: trash, soft delete
A recycle bin holds deleted documents so they can be restored. In a document management system it should be visible only to account administrators, which is what distinguishes recoverable deletion from deletion the person who did it can simply undo.
Recycle bin explained
Recoverable, not reversible
The distinction matters. Deletion should be recoverable, because mistakes happen and a backup restore is a disproportionate response to one deleted file. It should not be reversible by the person who performed it, because a bin that users can browse and restore from becomes a shadow repository — documents that were deliberately removed remain in circulation.
Administrator-only visibility achieves both.
Why permanent deletion must also exist
A system that cannot genuinely delete anything fails a different set of obligations. Retention schedules require disposal at the end of a period, and erasure rights require actual destruction. Permanent deletion should therefore be a separate, distinctly permissioned and separately logged action rather than an emptying of the bin.
What the audit trail should show
The deletion, who performed it, the restore if there was one, and the permanent deletion with the rule or request it was performed under. Crucially those entries should survive the document — a trail deleted alongside the record cannot answer questions about the disposal, and questions about disposals arrive after the fact.
Retention rules and the bin
A document in the bin is still a record. Its retention rule continues to apply, and a legal hold continues to prevent its permanent deletion — which means the bin cannot be a route around either control, and emptying it must respect both.
FAQ
Recycle bin: common questions
How long should documents stay in the bin?
Long enough for a mistake to be noticed — thirty to ninety days is typical — and not so long that it becomes an archive. The period should be a configured policy rather than indefinite.
Does emptying the bin satisfy an erasure request?
Only if it genuinely destroys the content rather than moving it. An erasure request needs permanent deletion with an audit entry, which is why the two actions are distinct.
Related terms
- Audit trailAn audit trail is an append-only record of every action taken on a document — views, downloads, edits, approvals, permission changes and deletions — with the acting user, timestamp and affected version.
- Chain of custodyChain of custody is the documented, unbroken record of who has held, accessed or altered an item of evidence, and when.
- DispositionDisposition is what happens to a record when its retention period expires: destruction, transfer to an archive, or a decision to extend.
- Document controlDocument control is the discipline of ensuring only approved documents are in use, superseded ones cannot be mistaken for current, and every change is authorised and recorded.
- Information governanceInformation governance is the framework of accountability, policies and controls determining how an organisation creates, uses, retains and disposes of its information.
- Legal holdA legal hold suspends the routine destruction of records that may be relevant to litigation, an investigation or an audit.
Last reviewed: 28 August 2026. Browse the full glossary.