Under the WEEE directive – which was introduced last year and aims to ensure that the cost of potentially hazardous electronic waste is covered by the manufacturers – producers are allowed to pass the cost of safe disposal or recycling onto customers.

However, they are not permitted to separate the entire cost as a surcharge, after the government decided that imposing a visible extra charge upon customers would make them resentful of measures that were introduced to help ensure environmental best practices are adhered to.

Learn more about the WEEE directive here.