Documentation must reflect what was actually carried out
The type of material, its origin, the transport, the treatment and the waste generator's requirements determine which records apply. Documentation should be defined before the operation and issued consistently with the contracted service.
Records that may form part of the scope
- Lists of volumes, categories or assets;
- Inventory by asset tag or serial number;
- Collection and transfer-of-responsibility records;
- Chain of custody for media and sensitive assets;
- Applicable disposal receipts and destination documents;
- Processing reports consistent with the service performed.
What to include in your request
Describe the purpose of the document, the standard required by your organisation, the materials involved and whether individual matching per asset is needed. This allows effort, lead time and feasibility to be assessed before collection.
Traceability that is useful for audit
A clear evidence trail connects origin, inventory, movement, treatment and closure. The level of detail should be proportionate to the generator's risk and objectives, avoiding generic documents that do not evidence the operation actually performed.
Frequently asked questions
Does every engagement generate the same documents?
No. Documents vary according to the material, location, transport, treatment and contracted scope.
Can I supply my own inventory spreadsheet?
Yes. Mention this during the assessment so that fields, format and the possibility of reconciliation with the operation's records can be validated.
Is documentation issued before collection?
Some records are prepared before the operation; others depend on collection, verification and processing. The timeline should be defined in the scope.
Technical reference
This topic is examined in depth in technical reports authored by Ecobraz Emigre, published with persistent identifiers (DOIs) in the open Zenodo repository:
- VILLANOVA, Marcio. Cadeia de Custódia de Resíduos Eletroeletrônicos: Integridade, Continuidade e Rastreabilidade da Evidência [Chain of Custody for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment: Integrity, Continuity and Traceability of Evidence]. Zenodo, 2026. doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21398390.
- VILLANOVA, Marcio. Não Conformidades na Destinação de Eletroeletrônicos: Uma Taxonomia para Auditoria e Controle Corporativo [Non-Conformities in the Disposal of Electrical and Electronic Equipment: A Taxonomy for Audit and Corporate Control]. Zenodo, 2026. doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21398989.