bikes · Alberta

Where to donate bikes and sports gear in Edmonton

3 organizations in and around Edmonton that take donated bikes — what each one accepts, what it turns away, and which will come and collect it.

Verified 2026-09-24 from each organization's own website. We are not affiliated with anyone listed here, nobody pays to be included, and we receive nothing if you donate to them.

How to tell what you have got

Before you call anyone, two minutes with the object settles most of it. None of this needs an expert — it needs a flashlight and a look at the back.

  • A lugged steel road bike from roughly 1970 to 1989 carrying a tubing decalLook at the seat tube and down tube for a decal naming the tubing: Reynolds 531, Columbus SL, SP or SLX, Tange, or Ishiwata. The frame joints are lugs, meaning sleeves with shaped, scalloped edges, not smooth welds. The shift levers are on the down tube, not the handlebars. A magnet will not stick to the rims. On a Reynolds frame, read the whole decal rather than just the number. Reynolds' own 1972 booklet on what the 531 decals guarantee sets out the hierarchy: the top decals promise 531 stays, taper-gauge forks and butted frame tubes, while a decal reading only "butted frame tubes" covers the top, seat and down tubes and leaves the fork blades and stays as lesser material. The words "forks & stays" are what tell you the 531 runs through the whole frame.
  • Any adult bike with alloy rims that rolls, brakes and shiftsMagnet-test the rims, not the spokes or the frame. Our Community Bikes in Vancouver gives the test in a parenthesis on its donation page: "(if a magnet sticks to the rim it's steel)". If the magnet falls off, the rims are alloy — that inference is ours, not theirs, but it is the whole point of the test.
  • Hockey skates, protective gear and sticks in sizes people actually needSkates with steel left above the blade holder and no deep rust pitting, pads with intact straps and foam that has not crushed flat, and sticks with no cracks at the hosel. On any helmet, the CSA sticker must be present, legible and unpainted.
  • Skis and snowboards whose bindings are less than ten years oldFind the binding model and its year, not the ski's year. Snow Valley Ski Club's swap in Edmonton states that "Skis with bindings older than 10 years may not be accepted." It gives no reason for the rule.
  • Cast iron and steel free weights, Olympic plates and dumbbellsThe weight is cast or stamped into the iron. There is no motor, no display and no electronics, so there is nothing on it that can be broken.
  • A recent e-bike whose battery still holds chargeThe pack charges and holds that charge overnight, the casing is not swollen or cracked, the contacts are free of corrosion, and the display powers up and reports a sensible range.

What this list turns away

Counted from what each place says on its own site, not from what is generally true. Most refusals are about condition and completeness rather than category.

  • 2 of 3 will not take mattresses and box springsBissell Thrift Shop (Bissell Centre), Find Edmonton
  • 2 of 3 will not take large appliancesBissell Thrift Shop (Bissell Centre), Find Edmonton
  • 2 of 3 will not take hazardous materialBissell Thrift Shop (Bissell Centre), Find Edmonton
  • 2 of 3 will not take car seats and cribsBissell Thrift Shop (Bissell Centre), Goodwill Industries of Alberta
  • 2 of 3 will not take anything damaged or stainedFind Edmonton, Goodwill Industries of Alberta

Rarely worth anything

Not a rule, and not a reason to bin something without asking. These are the things people most often expect to be worth money and find are not.

  • Entry-level dual-suspension mountain bikes
  • A bike with steel rims
  • A bike that has sat outside and seized
  • Used bicycle helmets
  • Used ski and snowboard helmets
  • Straight, unshaped downhill skis
  • Skis and boards with bindings more than ten years old
  • An e-bike with a dead battery
Bicycle helmets are single-impact items and must be replaced after any impact Canada, national guidance from Parachute, not law

Parachute, Canada's national injury prevention charity, states: "Some helmets are designed for a single impact, such as a bicycle helmet, and must be replaced after an impact. Others are multi-impact, such as hockey helmets, and are designed to protect against more than one impact, but must be replaced when you see damage." That is the whole of what the guidance covers. The inference about second-hand helmets is ours, not Parachute's: on a used bike helmet you cannot establish whether the single impact has already happened, which is why a crashed helmet should be binned rather than passed on. Parachute's page gives impact-based replacement only and states no time interval, so the widely repeated five-year rule is not something we can source to it.

Read the rule →
E-bike and e-mobility lithium batteries must go to a battery recycling route, not household waste Canada, with distinct additional programs in British Columbia and Quebec

Call2Recycle Canada operates the e-mobility battery collection program, accepting rechargeable lithium batteries that power e-bikes, e-scooters, e-skateboards and hoverboards. Collection runs through retailers, municipalities, property managers and other potential partners who opt in to be collectors and receive specialized shipping boxes, so coverage depends on who has opted in near you — check the Call2Recycle locator for your own province rather than assuming a site exists. In British Columbia, Call2Recycle also offers a separate and distinct BC e-mobility program supporting the collection and recycling of full e-bikes, including the battery, in that province. In Quebec, effective 1 July 2026, ecocentres can also opt in to collect complete e-mobility devices for recycling. Outside those two provinces, only the battery is covered and the frame must be handled separately.

Read the rule →

3 places in Edmonton that take bikes

Bissell Thrift Shop (Bissell Centre)

Not stated - ask them
TakesGently used and new clothing, Workwear, Footwear and accessories, Bedding, Hygiene products, Electronics, Kitchenware, Furniture, Books, Toys, Sports equipment
Won't takeLarge appliances, Mattresses, Car seats, Cribs, Strollers, Expired products, Paint and chemicals, Pianos, Gas-powered items, Firearms, Building supplies, Food, Materials promoting hate and violence
CollectionPickup is not mentioned anywhere on their website that I could read - not on the home, donate, or locations pages, and the FAQ page is currently a dead link. Treat this as drop-off only unless you phone (780) 471-6644 and arrange otherwise. Do not assume a pickup exists.
Where8818 118 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB T5B 0T4
Visit their site →(780) 471-6644

Find Edmonton

Will collect, conditions apply
TakesCouches, sofas and chairs, Dressers and night stands, Kitchen tables, TV stands, Antiques and collectibles, Artwork and mirrors, Shelves, Coffee, side and end tables, Home decor, Kitchen items and housewares, Small desks, Area rugs, Weights and sporting goods, Patio accessories, Small appliances, Newer TVs, Seasonal items
Won't takeBeds, mattresses and box springs, Large appliances - stoves, fridges, washers, dryers, Furniture over 6ft or oversized, Large exercise equipment, Baby furniture, Building supplies, Paint and hazardous materials, Items that are damaged or need repair, Hide-a-beds, Carpet, Recliner couches, Blinds, Vacuums, Weapons, Tube and projector TVs, Taxidermy
CollectionTheir own donation form page states: "We are happy to pick up of in the surrounding areas of Edmonton on weekends." Book at https://findedmonton.com/pages/donation-form or call 780-988-1717. Important caveat from the same page: "The Find trucking team have discretion not to accept an item if it does not meet our donation criteria" - and donors whose items do not qualify may be offered other options "for a fee". Whether the pickup itself is free is not stated, so confirm when you book.
Where5120 122 Street NW, Edmonton, AB
Visit their site →780-988-1717

Goodwill Industries of Alberta

Drop off only
TakesClothing - shirts, pants, socks, underwear, footwear (washed and dried, new or gently used), Housewares, Linens and towels, Furniture, Sporting equipment, Artwork, Collectibles, Jewelry, Toys and games, Books
Won't takeDamaged, stained or dirty items, Children's sleepwear, Clothing with drawstrings, Baby safety equipment including car seats, cribs and strollers
CollectionTheir own site states: "Unfortunately, Goodwill does not have a pick-up service." They note a partnership with College H.U.N.K.S. Hauling for donation pickup in some areas - that is a paid hauling company, not a free charity pickup, so ask about cost before booking.
WhereGoodwill's own site states 14 donation centres in Edmonton, part of 23+ across Alberta. Use their location finder at https://www.goodwill.ab.ca/donate/ rather than relying on a fixed list.
Visit their site →1-866-927-1414

Not sure what you have got?

Photograph it and we will tell you what it is and what it is worth — including when the honest answer is that it is worth nothing.

See what it's worth Sell it instead → Everything in Edmonton →

Other things in Edmonton

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