books · Ontario

Where to donate books, records and media in Ottawa

5 organizations in and around Ottawa 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 large appliancesDiabetes Canada — Declutter (Diabetes Clothesline), Helping With Furniture / Aidons avec des meubles, The Salvation Army Thrift Store / Donor Welcome Centre
  • 3 of 5 will not take car seats and cribsDiabetes Canada — Declutter (Diabetes Clothesline), Helping With Furniture / Aidons avec des meubles, The Salvation Army Thrift Store / Donor Welcome Centre
  • 2 of 5 will not take hazardous materialDiabetes Canada — Declutter (Diabetes Clothesline), The Salvation Army Thrift Store / Donor Welcome Centre
  • 2 of 5 will not take anything damaged or stainedFriends of the Ottawa Public Library Association (FOPLA), Helping With Furniture / Aidons avec des meubles

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 Ottawa that take books

Diabetes Canada — Declutter (Diabetes Clothesline)

Will collect, conditions apply
TakesClothing, shoes, accessories and bags, Household textiles including bedding, Small electronics — cell phones, laptops, tablets, cameras, gaming consoles, Kitchen and household items — cookware, tableware, small appliances, Books
Won't takeAll furniture, Beds and bedding parts, Large appliances, Televisions and computer monitors, Construction materials, Exercise equipment, Flammable products and hazardous materials, Infant products, Automobile parts, Marine vessels, Loose items not packed in sealed bags or boxes
CollectionFree home collection, but only when they have a scheduled run in your area — enter your postal code on their site to check. Items must be in sealed bags or boxes under 40 lb and left on the doorstep; loose items are not collected.
WhereHome pickup, booked by address through their site.
Visit their site →1-800-505-5525

Friends of the Ottawa Public Library Association (FOPLA)

Drop off only
TakesMass market paperbacks, softcover and hardcover fiction in any language, Non-fiction across all topics, Children's and teens' books, Large print books, Textbooks and travel guides, Graphic novels, art books, classic literature, CDs, DVDs and audiobooks, Music books, Puzzles
Won't takeBooks with water damage or stains, Anything mildewed, musty or dirty, Signs of insect infestation or mould, Torn or missing pages, Loose or broken bindings, Vinyl records, Encyclopedias, Magazines, Coffee table books, Some older non-fiction
CollectionNo home pickup. Small volumes can be handed in at any Ottawa Public Library branch, which is the easy route. Larger volumes go to the James Bartleman Centre, 100 Tallwood Drive, Nepean, by appointment only — slots at 10:30am, 11:30am and 12:30pm, Monday to Friday, booked on 613-580-2424 ext. 27875 between 10am and 2pm. Boxes must be no larger than 15" x 12" x 10"; no large plastic bags or large, heavy boxes. Volunteers help at the drop-off area.
WhereSmall donations are accepted at any Ottawa Public Library branch; large volumes only at the James Bartleman Centre, 100 Tallwood Drive, Nepean, by appointment.
Visit their site →613-580-2424 ext. 27875

Helping With Furniture / Aidons avec des meubles

TakesSofas and love seats under 7' wide, armchairs, end tables, coffee tables, lamps, Bed frames, dressers, mattresses (age and condition limits apply), Kitchen tables and dining chairs, Small appliances and kitchen items, Flatscreen TVs, Books and toys
Won't takeClothing, Oversized furniture, including large desks and entertainment units, Cribs and car seats, Large appliances such as stoves and refrigerators, Items with damage or missing parts
CollectionA service fee applies. Their booking page states plainly that a service fee will apply and that your address must fall inside the HWF designated pickup zone; you enter the address in the map search at https://www.hwfottawa.org/eng/request-a-pickup and, if it is in the zone, complete the request form. For addresses outside the zone they refer donors to an independent mover. Free drop-off during the two weekly windows is the cheaper route. The fee amount is not published — confirm when you book.
Where1455 Michael Street, Unit 3, Ottawa, ON
Visit their site →

The Salvation Army Thrift Store / Donor Welcome Centre

Drop off only
TakesClothing and footwear, Linens, Housewares and small appliances, Antiques and accessories, Books and media, Computers and electronics, Toys, Valuables such as fine jewellery
Won't takeFurniture, Beds, mattresses and box springs, Large appliances, Infant equipment, Construction materials, Automobile parts and tires, Paint, flammable and hazardous materials, Pianos
CollectionThey state it flatly: "We are unable to offer donation pick-up services." Everything has to be brought to a store or Donor Welcome Centre. The other thing people get wrong about the Salvation Army in Canada — furniture is on the cannot-accept list outright, so a sofa is not an option here at all.
WhereThe chain's own page cites over 120 locations across Canada without breaking out a count for Ottawa. Use their finder at https://thriftstore.ca/locations, which searches by city or postal code.
Visit their site →1-855-984-8378

Value Village

Drop off only
TakesClothing and shoes, Backpacks and purses, Bed and bath items, Books and media, Games and toys, Housewares, Small appliances, Small furniture, Electronics, Exercise and sporting goods
CollectionDrop-off only, at the Community Donation Centre attached to each store; no pickup service is mentioned. Value Village is a for-profit thrift retailer that pays a nonprofit partner for the goods you drop off, and the partner differs by location — the South Ottawa store at 1824 Bank St supports Diabetes Canada, per its own store page. Check the store page for the location nearest you before assuming which cause your donation funds.
WhereMultiple Ottawa stores; their own store locator at valuevillage.com gives each store's address, hours and nonprofit partner. The South Ottawa store (1824 Bank St, 613-526-5551) runs Mon-Sat 9:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. and Sun 10:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.
A for-profit retailer, not a charity. It pays a nonprofit partner for donated goods — the partner differs by store, so ask at the door if that matters to you.
Visit their site →

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 Ottawa →

Other things in Ottawa

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Books in other cities

Calgary6 placesEdmonton3 placesHalifax5 placesHamilton5 placesKitchener–Waterloo5 placesLondon4 placesMontréal5 placesQuébec City6 placesSaskatoon5 placesToronto5 placesVancouver9 placesVictoria3 placesWinnipeg5 places