Donations

We accept a wide variety of donated items. All donations are distributed to our partners, who then take responsibility for rehoming or responsibly recycling the items. 

Our current partners include The Salvation Army, RTC Toronto, PFFD Inc., and Optic Zone. 

We accept the following items for donation: 

• Clothes and accessories (no wet or smelly items, please)
• Textiles in any condition (e.g., bedding, towels, and drapes)
• Household items (e.g., kitchen items, knickknacks, and decorative items)
• Books (all kinds — textbooks, fiction, etc.)
• Art, school, and office supplies (e.g., writing materials, pencils, notebooks, and paints)
• Prescription eyeglasses (with or without a case)
• Surplus technology (e.g., computers, tablets, cell phones, printers, monitors, and TVs)
• Children’s toys and games (any condition)
• Mobility aids (e.g., canes, crutches, walkers, wheelchairs, and prosthetics)
• DVDs, video games, and VHS tapes

We do *not* accept the following items: 

• Large furniture (e.g., beds, dressers, couches, tables, or desks)
• Items that are wet, dirty, or smelly

Important notes:

• Textile/fabric items should be washed and placed in tied plastic bags. 
• All breakable items should be wrapped to avoid damage.
• Kitchen/household items should be clean and free of food waste.
• If you are donating items that may contain data (e.g., smartphones, tablets, or computers), we encourage you to wipe your items or perform a factory reset prior to donation. We will not be liable for any data leaks or other incidents that occur as a result of the donation of your items. 
• All textiles (e.g., clothing, bedding, towels, and drapes) that are not fit for reuse will be responsibly recycled by The Salvation Army.
• COVID-19 regulations (e.g., masking and physical distancing) will be enforced per government guidelines. ​

FreeMarket

FreeMarket is a place where anyone can donate and/or take items as they please. By allowing our neighbours to directly access donated items free of charge, we are both keeping usable items out of landfills and giving back to our community.

We accept the following items for donation: 

• Clothes and accessories (no wet or smelly items, please)
• Reusable textiles (e.g., bedding, towels, and drapes in good condition)
• Household items (e.g., kitchen items, knickknacks, and decorative items)
• Books (all kinds — textbooks, fiction, etc.)
• Art, school, and office supplies (e.g., writing materials, pencils, notebooks, and paints)
• Prescription eyeglasses (with or without a case)
• Children’s toys and games (any condition)
• DVDs, video games, and VHS tapes

We do *not* accept the following items: 

• Large furniture (e.g., beds, dressers, couches, tables, or desks)
• Items that are wet, dirty, or smelly
• Technology items that may contain data (e.g., cell phones, tablets, and computers; all such donated items will be directed to RCT Toronto)
• Mobility aids (e.g., crutches, walkers, and wheelchairs; all such donated items will be directed to PFFD Inc.)

Please be mindful of the following FreeMarket rules & guidelines:

• Anyone may take and/or donate as much or as little as they would like. 
• There is absolutely no charge for taking items from FreeMarket. 
• When taking items from FreeMarket, we would kindly ask that all patrons be mindful and considerate of others.
• Please bring your own bag(s) for use at FreeMarket.
• We will not tolerate any disrespectful, aggressive, or offensive language or behavior. Patrons who violate this rule will be asked to leave the premises. 
• FreeMarket items are not intended for commercial resale. Commercial entities are prohibited from taking items from the Free Market. 
• We reserve the right to enforce a maximum time limit on each patron’s visit at the FreeMarket to ensure that all patrons are able to take a turn accessing the service, as this may be necessary to ensure that capacity and COVID-19 guidelines are being followed.
• Please note that masking, physical distancing, and other COVID-19 measures may be enforced. ​

Repair Café Toronto

Repair Café Toronto is part of a global movement aimed at building a more sustainable society and countering the throwaway mindset. Repair Café’s volunteers will work with you to try to repair fixable items, showing you useful tips and tricks along the way. 

Repair Café Toronto will accept the following items for repair: 

• Clothing/textiles
• Jewellery 
• Small appliances
• Home electronics
• General housewares

Please note that while volunteer fixers will do their best, successful repair of your item is not guaranteed.
​

Recycling

As part of our mission to reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfills, we collect certain hard-to-recycle items to be responsibly recycled by organizations such as TerraCycle and CASE. For the recycling of office supplies, we have partnered with Staples. 

We accept the following items for recycling: 

• Used writing tools (e.g., pens, markers, and highlighters)
• Batteries
• Ink and toner cartridges
• Prescription pill bottles (empty, with the labels removed; a 10¢ donation is encouraged to cover shipping costs)
• Cosmetic containers and packaging (empty, rinsed, dried; details about what is accepted can be found here)
• Disposable razors
• Personal Dental waste (e.g., used tooth brushes, empty toothpaste tubes, and floss containers; more details about what is accepted can be found here)

CultureLink Bike Hub

CultureLink Bike Hub supports local cyclists and fosters a culture of repair and reuse. They help people fix their own bicycles, and provide bike repair workshops on-site and in the neighbourhood.  

CultureLink Bike Hub will be offering free bicycle repairs on Thursday, January 26, 2023 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. only. 

You can learn more about the Bike Hub here. 

Have any questions? 

Just email us at reduce@slna.ca, and we'll be happy to help! 

Stay connected with the Waste Reduction Group.