Eco-fees are used to fund recycling programs for the electronic products you purchase. The fee, which varies by province, is used to cover the cost for the recycling depot operation, shipping, storage, breakdown and recycling of the item. All of these tasks are performed by independent operators, and Staples remits all fees collected from customers to these organizations. The fee is charged at the point of purchase so that once you recycle the item later, there is no additional charge.