books · Ontario

Where to donate books, records and media in Kitchener–Waterloo

5 organizations in and around Kitchener–Waterloo that take donated books — 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.

  • LPs in almost any genre except classical, opera and overstocked easy listeningLook up the exact pressing's completed sales on Discogs, not its asking prices. Audiopile says it reads the median price rather than the highest, also looks at the "Wants" count to judge sellability, and warns that online prices do not necessarily reflect the local market. Pressing origin matters — it pays more for Japanese, UK and other imports — so read the catalogue and matrix numbers on the label and in the run-out groove, not just the artist.
  • Records you were about to throw out because they look roughPut the visibly damaged records in a separate box and take them along anyway rather than sorting them into the bin.
  • Antiquarian books, modern firsts, fine bindings and local historyLook for a dust jacket present and intact, a date on the title page matching the copyright page with no later printing line, and an author signature. With none of those it is probably an ordinary secondhand book — but anything pre-1900, finely bound, or local history should be seen by a dealer before you decide.
  • Books published in the last five years, and classics in new editionsCheck the copyright page. If the newest date is more than five years old and the book is nonfiction, Halifax is not the stop for it — and its cap is 20 items per household in any case.
  • Children's and teen books printed since 2000, in gift conditionIt specifically wants board and baby books, preschool titles, popular series, graphic novels, non-fiction on nature, animals and space, and books with diverse characters. Its refusal list is short and exact: textbooks, encyclopedias, workbooks, library books, self-published books and damaged books.
  • CDs with no scratches, with their original linersA disc in a wallet or binder that still has its liner meets Halifax's rule. Discs stripped of their artwork are the hard ones to place.
  • Cassettes, where they are collectible rather than commonAudiopile's distinction is between common commercial tapes and collectible ones; a tape recorded or dubbed at home is neither. Sealed or small-run commercial releases are the ones worth asking about.

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.

  • 3 of 5 will not take mattresses and box springsGoodwill, Ontario Great Lakes, Mission Thrift Store Kitchener, The Salvation Army Thrift Store
  • 2 of 5 will not take hazardous materialGoodwill, Ontario Great Lakes, The Salvation Army Thrift Store
  • 2 of 5 will not take anything damaged or stainedCFUW Kitchener-Waterloo Annual Used Book Sale, Mission Thrift Store Kitchener

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.

  • General mass-market paperbacks
  • Reader's Digest Condensed Books and other book-club condensed editions
  • Encyclopedia sets
  • Ex-library books and library discards
  • Outdated textbooks and computer manuals
  • Travel guides
  • Magazines, including long runs of National Geographic
  • Classical and opera LPs
  • Easy-listening and middle-of-the-road LPs
  • VHS tapes and ordinary audio cassettes
  • Used DVDs and Blu-rays, as a sale
  • Anything mouldy, musty, water-damaged, yellowed or heavily highlighted
  • Self-published books and workbooks
  • Hardcovers and spiral-bound books, as a prison donation
Prison book programs take softcovers only, and screen the content Canada — correctional institutions, via Books to Prisoners BC (Vancouver)

Books to Prisoners BC says that most prisons in Canada do not accept hardcover books, so it prefers that you do not donate them; it adds that hardcovers weigh more and cost more to ship. Spiral-bound books are also on its not-accepted list, along with damaged books, pornography, anything explaining how to immobilize a person, Canadian true crime about people currently incarcerated, and books critical of Canadian police and prison systems. Do not mail books to a prisoner directly on the assumption they will arrive.

Read the rule →
Hardcover books must be taken apart before the parts go in the carts City of Calgary, Alberta

Calgary instructs residents to remove cardboard hard covers and spines and recycle them as separate items from the pages, and to put coverless and loose pages into the recycling. Leather, canvas and plastic book covers go in the black cart as garbage. Old and unusable paper books may go in the blue cart or a community recycling depot.

Read the rule →
Discs and tapes that cannot be reused are garbage; only the paper parts are recyclable City of Calgary, Alberta

Calgary directs old and broken discs and tapes — vinyl records, CDs, DVDs and video tapes — to the black cart as garbage, while paper covers, music liners and record sleeves go in the blue cart. Its first advice is to pass usable media on to family and friends, sell it, or donate it to a local charity.

Read the rule →
Tapes, CDs, DVDs and records that cannot be reused go in the garbage; cases and inserts go in recycling Peel Region (Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon), Ontario

Peel Region states that video and audio tapes, CDs, DVDs and records that cannot be re-used may be placed in the garbage for disposal, and that empty cassette or video boxes, printed paper sleeves and inserts go in the recycling cart or a clear or blue transparent plastic bag. Reusable items in good condition may be donated at some Community Recycling Centre locations, where staff have the right to refuse items on inspection.

Read the rule →
Cassettes, CDs and DVDs are not accepted in the Blue Bin City of Toronto, Ontario

Toronto's Blue Bin page names cassettes, CDs and DVDs under other plastics that do not belong in the bin. Books are not listed on either the accepted or the not-accepted side — they appear only in a photo caption of paper items — and the page tells residents to check the Waste Wizard tool when they are unsure, which is the only authoritative answer for books in Toronto.

Read the rule →

5 places in Kitchener–Waterloo that take books

CFUW Kitchener-Waterloo Annual Used Book Sale

Drop off only
TakesHard and soft cover books for adults, youth and children, Coffee table books, cookbooks and crafting books, Anime, manga and comic books, Pre-recorded CDs, DVDs and Blu-rays, Audiobooks on CD or DVD, Sheet music and vinyl records, Jigsaw puzzles with no missing pieces, Large print editions
Won't takeDamaged materials, Library discards, Textbooks, Magazines and periodicals, Cassettes, VHS and Beta tapes, Encyclopedias, dictionaries and reference materials, Maps and atlases, Reader's Digest condensed novels, Outdated travel, business, computer and tax guides
CollectionDrop-off only, during the advertised donation window before the sale. No home collection is offered.
WhereA once-a-year volunteer-run sale, NOT a permanent drop-off point. Held at First United Church, 16 William St. W at King St. S in Uptown Waterloo. Their site currently advertises the sale for Friday April 16, 2027 9 a.m.-9 p.m. and Saturday April 17, 2027 9 a.m.-1 p.m., with donation drop-off on Wednesday April 14, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. and Thursday April 15, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Confirm on their site before loading the car. Contact office@cfuwkw.org.
Visit their site →

Goodwill, Ontario Great Lakes

Not stated - ask them
TakesClothing, outerwear, shoes and accessories, Books and media, Computers, laptops and printers, Housewares and linens, Small furniture under 50 lbs, Games and toys, Phones and small electronics
Won't takeMattresses and box springs, Large furniture and any item over 50 lbs, Hazardous, recalled or banned items, or items that do not meet current safety standards, Food, Paint and chemicals, Pianos, Swimming pools, Weapons
CollectionNo home pickup service is mentioned anywhere on their donation page. Treat this as drop-off only unless you confirm otherwise with a local donation centre.
WhereTheir locator page states that "Goodwill, Ontario Great Lakes operates over 45 Donation Centres across Southern Ontario." Use the locator at goodwillindustries.ca/donation-centre-locator/ to find the nearest one - the locator is loaded by script and publishes no fetchable address list, so no specific Kitchener-Waterloo address could be confirmed from their own site.
Visit their site →

Mission Thrift Store Kitchener

TakesCouches, Chairs and recliners, Dining tables and chairs, Dressers and nightstands, Wardrobes, Bookshelves and storage units, Coffee tables and end tables
Won't takeBedframes, headboards, footboards and box springs, Furniture that is heavily stained, torn, broken or unsafe
CollectionFurniture pickup costs $30.00 (taxes included) - their wording is "furniture donation pickup for just $30.00 (taxes included)." Book by calling (519) 579-4116 ext. 2 or emailing kitchener_furniture@missionthriftstore.com. Pickup window is Monday to Saturday 12:00pm-2:00pm, closed Sunday.
WhereOne Kitchener store, part of the national Mission Thrift Store chain. No street address is published on their furniture pickup page - check the store's own site for the address and drop-off door before you go.
Visit their site →(519) 579-4116

The Salvation Army Thrift Store

Drop off only
TakesAccessories, Antiques and collectibles, Books and media, Clothing and linens, Computers and electronics, Footwear, Housewares and small appliances, Toys, Valuables
Won't takeFurniture, Beds, mattresses and box springs, Large appliances, Construction materials, Automobile parts and tires, Infant equipment, Paint and hazardous materials, Pianos
Collection"We are unable to offer donation pick-up services." Everything must be dropped off in person at a Donor Welcome Centre.
WhereTheir page states they operate over 120 locations across Canada with Donor Welcome Centres for drop-offs. Use the store finder on thriftstore.ca to confirm the nearest location and its donation hours - no Kitchener-Waterloo address is published on the national donations page. Charitable tax receipts are issued for valuables with a fair market value over $500.
Visit their site →

Worth A Second Look Furniture and Housewares (The Working Centre)

Will collect, conditions apply
TakesFurniture and small appliances, Housewares, Jewelry, Electronics, Linens, Mattresses and beds, Books, Toys, Tools
Collection"If you have a large number of items and are not able to bring them to the store, please send us a photo and description of the items and we may be able to come pick them up." No fee is stated. Email wasl@theworkingcentre.org or phone the store.
Where37 Market Lane, Kitchener
Visit their site →519-569-7566

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 Kitchener–Waterloo →

Other things in Kitchener–Waterloo

furniture7 placesappliances4 placeselectronics6 placesclothes7 placeskitchenware6 placestools3 placestoys4 places

Books in other cities

Calgary6 placesEdmonton3 placesHalifax5 placesHamilton5 placesLondon4 placesMontréal5 placesOttawa5 placesQuébec City6 placesSaskatoon5 placesToronto5 placesVancouver9 placesVictoria3 placesWinnipeg5 places