What does ITAD chain of custody actually include?

Chain of custody is a documented, chronological record that tracks the movement of IT assets and sensitive materials from pickup to final destination. It covers removal, custody, transfer, testing, data destruction, classification, and disposal, with each handoff recorded by handler identity, date, time, and signature.

The chain starts with asset identification at collection: a complete register documenting internal asset tags, manufacturer serial numbers, device type, and collection location. At pickup, dual sign-off records who released the assets and who accepted them. Transport documentation includes GPS-tracked vehicles, sealed tamper-evident containers, security-vetted drivers, vehicle details, and timestamps. At the receiving facility, assets are verified against the submitted list through a reconciliation process. During processing, each device's disposition is documented: whether it underwent certified erasure or physical shredding, with per-device records showing the method, result, and any hash values or verification data for erasure attempts. Devices that fail wiping are flagged with escalation records showing they moved to shredding. Final disposition records confirm that every serial number has been accounted for, and certificates of destruction or erasure are issued only after all serials are confirmed processed. Greentec's secure chain-of-custody process includes sealed tamper-evident containers, certified technician pickup, serialized tracking throughout, full inventory audit, and documented handoffs at every stage. Effective chain-of-custody programs track 95 to 98 percent of assets by serial-number matching, and combining disposal tags with serial verification can push accuracy to 99 to 100 percent.