books · Ontario

Where to donate books, records and media in Toronto

5 organizations in and around Toronto 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 appliancesRoyal Furniture Bank, Talize, The Salvation Army Thrift Store, National Recycling Operations
  • 3 of 5 will not take car seats and cribsRoyal Furniture Bank, Talize, The Salvation Army Thrift Store, National Recycling Operations
  • 2 of 5 will not take mattresses and box springsTalize, The Salvation Army Thrift Store, National Recycling Operations
  • 2 of 5 will not take hazardous materialTalize, The Salvation Army Thrift Store, National Recycling Operations
  • 2 of 5 will not take anything damaged or stainedRoyal Furniture Bank, The Children's Book Bank

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 Toronto that take books

Royal Furniture Bank

Will collect, free
TakesBeds, bed frames and mattresses in good condition, Sofas and armchairs, Dining tables and chairs, Dressers and storage units, Kitchen items, Electronics, Lamps, mirrors, Shelving and bookcases
Won't takeItems with pest damage or mould, Structurally damaged furniture, Heavily stained upholstery, Large appliances — refrigerators, stoves, washers, dryers, Clothing, Books, Car seats, Entertainment centres, Buffet cabinets
CollectionFree pickup from your home, booked through their online form. Verified on their own schedule-pickup page: "We'll come to you. Schedule a free pickup from your home." Note their homepage separately describes a $300 delivery fee — that fee is charged to the FAMILIES RECEIVING furniture, not to donors. Do not present the $300 as a donor cost.
Where5004 Timberlea Blvd, Unit 20-22, Mississauga, ON
Visit their site →+1 647-368-6949

Talize

Drop off only
TakesClothing, Fashion accessories, Shoes, Linens, Books, Toys, Housewares
Won't takeFurniture, Mattresses, Large appliances, Baby car seats, cribs, strollers, Helmets, Anything requiring fuel, Paint and hazardous materials, Large or heavy items
CollectionThey state: "Talize unfortunately doesn't offer home pick-ups." Every store has a donation centre.
Where15 stores listed on their donate page; the GTA-area ones named are Brampton, Mississauga and Whitby. Donations support charity partners including Cornerstone to Recovery and SickKids.
Visit their site →

The Children's Book Bank

Drop off only
TakesBooks for children ages 0 to 18, gently used or new, Books printed since 2000, Board and baby books, Preschool books, Non-fiction, Popular series, Graphic novels
Won't takeTextbooks, encyclopedias and workbooks, Damaged books, Ex-library books, Self-published books, Books with water damage, yellowing or tears
CollectionNo pickup. Donations are accepted ONLY on specific scheduled drop-off dates at two warehouses, and they explicitly ask that you not bring book donations to their storefront at 585 Dundas St E. Always link to the live donate page for current dates rather than printing dates that will go stale.
WhereTwo donation warehouses: Sherbourne at 334 Bleecker St (416-925-1230) and Morningside at 1154 Morningside Ave (416-214-0837). Main phone listed is the Regent Park HQ. Drop-off dates are occasional, 11:00am-2:30pm — dated and must be checked live.
Visit their site →416-922-7323

The Salvation Army Thrift Store, National Recycling Operations

Drop off only
TakesClothing and footwear, Bedding and linens, Accessories, Housewares and small appliances, Computers and electronics, Books and media, Toys, Antiques and collectibles
Won't takeFurniture, Beds, mattresses and box springs, Large appliances, Construction materials, Automobile parts and tires, Infant equipment, Paint, flammable and hazardous materials, Pianos
CollectionThey state plainly: "We are unable to offer donation pick-up services." Drop off at a store instead. This is the single most common misconception about them and is worth stating loudly on the page.
WhereThey state over 120 locations across Canada. Use their own finder at https://thriftstore.ca/locations rather than listing GTA branches. Tax receipts are issued only for valuables with a fair market value over $500.
Visit their site →1-855-984-8378

Value Village (Savers Value Village)

Drop off only
TakesClothing and shoes, Backpacks and purses, Bed and bath items, Housewares, Small appliances, Small furniture, Electronics, Books and media, Games and toys, Exercise and sporting goods
CollectionNo home pickup is offered. Drop off at a Community Donation Centre. Donors get 20% off their next purchase under their Declutter Responsibly program.
WhereIMPORTANT FRAMING: this is a for-profit retailer that PAYS a nonprofit partner for donated goods — it is not itself a charity, and the partner differs by store. One confirmed example is the Queen St E Community Donation Centre at 924 Queen St E, Toronto ON M4M 1J5, phone (647) 255-7794, whose partner is the Kidney Foundation of Canada. Do not generalise that partner to other stores. Send readers to valuevillage.ca to find their nearest centre.
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 Toronto →

Other things in Toronto

furniture4 placesappliances5 placeselectronics5 placesclothes6 placeskitchenware5 placestoys4 places

Books in other cities

Calgary6 placesEdmonton3 placesHalifax5 placesHamilton5 placesKitchener–Waterloo5 placesLondon4 placesMontréal5 placesOttawa5 placesQuébec City6 placesSaskatoon5 placesVancouver9 placesVictoria3 placesWinnipeg5 places