If you are an approved e-waste collector or recycler in California, an audit is always a possibility. CalRecycle conducts compliance audits to verify that submitted CEW payment claims are accurate and that operations meet program requirements. Being caught unprepared can result in payment recovery demands, revocation of approval, or civil penalties.
What triggers a CalRecycle audit?
- Statistical anomalies in your claims — weight totals that spike or drop significantly without explanation
- Random selection as part of CalRecycle's routine compliance monitoring program
- Reports from other approved participants about potential misreporting
- Discrepancies between your reported tonnage and downstream processor records
- Prior audit findings or a history of late or amended claims
What auditors examine
A CalRecycle audit typically covers one or more reporting periods. Auditors will request and review:
- Scale tickets and weight records for all CEW received during the audit period
- CEW logs showing intake by date, source, and device type
- Downstream processor documentation — manifests, bills of lading, or processor receipts
- CalRecycle proof of approval, and your current application or renewal
- Site records for any public drop-off activities, if applicable
Auditors will cross-reference your submitted claim tonnage against physical scale records and downstream documentation. If the numbers don't reconcile, CalRecycle can issue a findings report and require repayment of any overclaimed funds.
Most common audit findings
- Missing or illegible scale tickets that cannot support the reported weights
- Device categories mixed up — flat panels reported as CRTs or vice versa
- No downstream processor documentation for material reported as processed
- Gaps in the CEW log — periods with no intake records despite submitted tonnage
- Claim totals that cannot be reconciled with the scale ticket totals on file
Staying audit-ready year-round
The best audit preparation is systematic daily operations. Trying to reconstruct records at audit time is stressful and often incomplete. Instead:
- Weigh every incoming pallet at arrival and record the weight immediately
- Classify device type (CRT, flat panel, laptop, etc.) at intake — not retroactively
- Attach or link scale tickets to each receiving record at the time of receipt
- Document every outbound shipment with a manifest or signed processor receipt
- Reconcile your CEW log against scale records monthly, not just when a claim goes out
If you receive an audit notice
- Notify the approved recycler you transferred the material to — the claim on it may be affected
- Pull all receiving records, scale tickets, and CEW logs for the audit period
- Gather downstream processor documentation for all reported outbound material
- Review your submitted claims and logs for any errors you can identify before the auditor does
- Do not alter, delete, or recreate records — auditors are trained to detect document manipulation
5-Step Audit Preparation Checklist
Pull all receiving records, scale tickets, and CEW logs for the audit period — Tayr generates these in seconds from your daily operations data.
Reconcile your CEW log totals against scale ticket totals. Monthly reconciliation prevents surprises at audit time.
Gather downstream processor documentation for all outbound material — manifests, bills of lading, or signed processor receipts with EPA IDs.
Review your submitted claims and the 198 log for discrepancies between reported tonnage and physical records.
Document your chain of custody — every pallet from intake to outbound transfer. Tayr maintains this automatically.
Tayr maintains a complete receiving history with weights, dates, device categories, and source information. When CalRecycle requests records, you can generate a full CEW log and receiving summary in seconds — no spreadsheet reconstruction required.