tools · Ontario

Where to donate tools in Kitchener–Waterloo

3 organizations in and around Kitchener–Waterloo that take donated tools — 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.

Tools are usually the most valuable thing left in a garage and the most casually thrown out: the drawer of chisels and the dusty hand plane under the bench are routinely worth more than the big machine standing in the middle of the floor, so do not let anyone clear the garage as a favour until someone has turned the hand tools over and read the names stamped on 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.

  • Pre-war Stanley bench planes, Nos. 3 to 8The size number is cast into the toe, in front of the front knob - but only on planes from roughly the turn of the twentieth century onward. The earliest and most desirable examples often carry no cast number at all, so do not conclude that an unnumbered plane is not a Stanley; judge those by the lever cap, the frog and the iron instead. The logo stamped on the cutting iron dates it: a cursive heart-shaped "SW" (sweetheart) logo means roughly 1920-1935 and is the one buyers ask for. Rosewood knob and tote, not stained hardwood or plastic.
  • Stanley Bedrock planes, numbered in the 600s"BED ROCK" is cast into the bed casting. The sides of the bed are flat-topped where a Bailey's are rounded over. The number is three digits beginning with 6, not a single digit.
  • Stanley No. 1 and No. 2 planesA No. 1 is only about 140 mm long and has no rear handle at all - just a front knob and a small hump to hold. If someone offers you pocket change for "the little one", stop the sale.
  • Bare cordless tools on a battery platform still being soldLook at the battery foot, not the tool. If the pack slides on and latches, and that platform is still on the shelf at a Canadian retailer, the bare tool sells. If the pack is a stubby stick that drops into a hole in the handle, it does not.
  • Mechanic's hand tools by Snap-on, Mac, Matco or Proto, and the roll cabinets they came inThe brand is forged or stamped into the tool itself, not applied as a sticker. Roll cabinets carry a model number on the back panel or inside a drawer.
  • Machinist's measuring toolsA fitted wooden or plastic case with a shaped bed, a maker's name engraved rather than printed, and a graduated thimble or dial. Keep the case - a micrometer without its case is worth a fraction of one with it.
  • Cast-iron stationary machineryTap the table. Cast iron rings and is cold to the hand; aluminum or pressed steel does neither. A cast metal badge rather than a printed sticker is the other sign.
  • Complete sets, in their trays and casesCount against the tray's moulded recesses before concluding the set is incomplete. Missing sizes are usually loose in the bottom of the toolbox.
  • Hand saws, chisels and braces by named makersAn etch on the saw plate, visible if you hold it to the light at a low angle through the rust. A medallion on the handle carrying a maker's name. A plate that tapers - thicker at the teeth than at the back.

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 springsHabitat for Humanity Guelph Wellington ReStore, Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region ReStore

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.

  • Cordless tools on a dead battery platform
  • Gas-powered equipment that will not start
  • Half-used chemicals from the shelf above the bench
  • Rusted-solid hand tools
  • Corded power tools with no certification mark on the rating plate
  • Dull and damaged consumables
  • Jars and coffee cans of mixed fasteners
  • Bulk wooden moulding planes
An electrical product cannot be sold, displayed or advertised for sale unless it is approved and bears a recognized certification mark - used tools included Ontario

O. Reg. 438/07 (Product Safety) under the Electricity Act, 1998, s. 5(1): "No person shall use, advertise, display, sell, offer for sale or other disposal any electrical product or device unless it has been approved in accordance with this Regulation." Under s. 2(1) a product is deemed approved only if it bears the mark of a certification body accredited under the Standards Council of Canada Act and recognized by the Electrical Safety Authority, a recognized field-evaluation agency's label, or an ESA label. Section 5(2) additionally prohibits using a product other than for its intended purpose or in its intended manner. The regulation contains no exemption for used goods, estate sales or private sales; its only exemption (s. 5(4)) is for trade-show display or demonstration with the Authority's permission. Practical effect: a power tool with no legible certification mark, or one that has been rewired or had its switch bypassed, is a disposal item, not stock. We found no record of enforcement against charity shops or private sellers of second-hand tools as opposed to importers and retailers, but the prohibition is plainly worded and carries no used-goods exemption.

Read the rule →
The same certification requirement applies in British Columbia British Columbia

Electrical Safety Regulation s. 21(1) requires electrical equipment to bear evidence of either the mark or label of a certification agency accredited by the Standards Council of Canada, a label of an agency acceptable to the provincial safety manager, or an approval mark issued under the Safety Standards Act. A person must not use electrical equipment in British Columbia, or offer for sale, sell, display or otherwise dispose of electrical equipment for use in British Columbia, without it.

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Gasoline is accepted for disposal only in an approved can, and the can is not given back British Columbia

Product Care Recycling's BC household hazardous waste program accepts "Gasoline, including stale or old gasoline contaminated with oil or water", but only in a ULC-approved gas can or jerry can, with a maximum container size of 25 litres, and states that "for safety reasons, the gasoline container cannot be returned to you at drop off". Other flammable liquids: maximum container size 10 litres, with a maximum aerosol container size of 680 g. Diesel, butane and refillable propane cylinders are not accepted. Oil and antifreeze are handled by a separate program.

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Toronto excludes gasoline from its free Toxic Taxi and caps volumes at 50 litres Toronto, Ontario

Gasoline "must be brought to a Drop-Off Depot or Community Environment Day in any container that can be left behind" and is excluded from Toxic Taxi collection. Toxic Taxi collection requires a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 50 litres/kilograms per pickup, and depots accept a maximum of 50 litres/kilograms per drop-off. "Gas tanks/cylinders (e.g. propane/BBQ, helium, oxygen, etc.)" are listed as household hazardous waste.

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Refillable propane cylinders expire after ten years and cannot lawfully be filled after that Canada

Per the Canadian Propane Association, refillable propane cylinders must be replaced, or inspected and requalified by a Transport Canada approved requalifier, every ten years, and "It's against the law to fill an expired or damaged cylinder". Retailer take-back of expired cylinders happens at the retailer's discretion and is not mandated. Cylinders retain residual propane even when they appear empty, and must never be placed in household garbage or roadside recycling.

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Cordless tool battery packs are recycled free, up to 5 kg each Canada, with two provincial exceptions

Recycle Your Batteries, Canada! (operated by Call2Recycle) collects single-use and rechargeable batteries weighing up to 5 kg each at no cost, including the lithium-ion, nickel-cadmium, nickel-metal-hydride and small sealed lead acid packs used in cordless power tools. Small sealed lead acid batteries are not accepted in Alberta or Saskatchewan. Home Depot Canada stores are drop-off sites, along with many municipal and retail locations.

Read the rule →

3 places in Kitchener–Waterloo that take tools

Habitat for Humanity Guelph Wellington ReStore

Will collect, free
TakesClean, functional furniture, Working appliances, Kitchen and bathroom cabinets, Plumbing fixtures, Hardwood and laminate flooring (minimum 3 boxes of the same type), Tools, Doors, Windows not exceeding 10 years old or 4 feet wide, Lighting, New, unused shingles in package, Drywall and insulation, Wall art, framed mirrors and home decor, Electronic recycling
Won't takeMattresses and box springs, Pianos, Adjustable and hospital beds, Bathtubs, including corner and Jacuzzi-style tubs, Glass shower doors and shower stalls of any type, Cribs, Housewares - dishes, utensils, pots, Unframed mirrors, glass and mirrored closet doors, Flat hollow-core slab doors, Toilets with a capacity of more than 6L, Exercise equipment, Used clothing, Used blinds and blinds with cords, Non-working appliances containing Freon, Automotive parts, Pool tables, Most entertainment units, Paint (accepted from corporate partners only)
CollectionThe page is headed "Free Donation Pickup" and recommends the service for large or multi-item donations. Donations must be easily accessible and outside the home - "utilizing porches, driveways, lobbies and garages whenever possible." They request an optional monetary donation on completion to help cover costs.
WhereTwo ReStores, in Guelph and in Fergus. The address printed on the donation page is the organization's office at Suite 100B - 104 Dawson Road, Guelph ON N1H 1A6, not a ReStore receiving door. No store hours are given on this page - check habitatgw.ca for each ReStore's address and hours before going.
Visit their site →519-767-9752

Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region ReStore

Will collect, conditions apply
TakesFurniture: upholstered sofas and chairs, cabinets, dining sets, office desks under 48", bedroom furniture, home accents, Kitchen cabinets and countertops, Electrical appliances in working condition and not older than 7 years, Building materials: lumber (minimum 8'), drywall, insulation, Flooring: new, minimum 100 sq ft, Hardware, lighting, plumbing fixtures, windows and doors, tools, Seasonal outdoor items (April to September)
Won't takeGas appliances, Small household appliances such as coffee makers, toasters and blenders, Mattresses, Hutches and buffets, Slab doors, Brass door hardware
CollectionRequest a pickup (garage or driveway) through their online donation form, recommended for larger or multi-item donations. Their page states: "We receive a high number of requests for donation pick-ups and therefore not all will qualify for the service." No fee is stated anywhere on their donations or salvage pages - a testimonial on the salvage page describes a removal as free of charge. Confirm cost when you book.
WhereTwo ReStores, both listed on habitatwr.ca/site/restore-locations-habitat-for-humanity-waterloo: Waterloo at 120 Northfield Drive East, Waterloo ON N2J 4G8 (519-747-0664 Ext. 221) and Cambridge at 200 Preston Parkway, Cambridge ON N3H 5N1 (519-653-5666). Both Monday-Friday 9:00am-6:00pm, Saturday 9:00am-5:00pm, closed Sunday.
Visit their site →519-747-0664

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 Everything in Kitchener–Waterloo →

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