Where to recycle/donate stuff

Photos of stuff you can recycle rather than toss

Why donate rather than throw away?

Donating stuff you don’t need allows you to:

  1. Reduce clutter
  2. Simplify your life
  3. Minimize our tax burden by extending the life of our landfill
  4. Keep toxic chemicals and heavy metals out of our air and water
  5. Fight climate change (by reducing the need to produce new stuff)

What you need to know before you donate

Before heading to a donation location, confirm what they accept, when, and how. Items accepted and hours of operation may change over time. Do not leave items after hours as that can create huge headaches for those accepting donations. Please read about how to be ethical as you donate your stuff to charities/thrift stores.

Where/what to donate

Below we list local organizations accepting items (alphabetically rather than by types of items, since what they take often overlaps). This list also provides ideas for where to buy used.

You can also sell or give away items from home. Try advertising through Facebook Marketplace, KIJIJI, or SooToday. Or join these Facebook groups: Sault Ste. Marie Helping Hands (group run by a local social service organization) and Zero Waste Sault Ste. Marie.

FYI Clean North and partners are no longer collecting empty prescription bottles due to a lack of sustainable funding for shipping costs. If you’d like to collect bottles and ship bottles yourself, here’s more information about the program.

Where/what to donate:

Bargain Box, Westminster Church, 134 Brock St., (705)254-4801: Clothing, most household items (see Facebook page).

Best Buy, 548 Great Northern Rd., (705)942-0722: Batteries, cellular devices, cords and cables, most electronic waste (see website).

Churches: Many have regular rummage sales; some make items available to those in need. 

City of Sault Ste. Marie Landfill, 402 Fifth Line E., (705)759-1567: Metal, tires, electronics, propane tanks, wood waste, building materials, other items (see website). Fee required.  

City of Sault Ste. Marie Household Hazardous Waste Depot, 402 Fifth Line E., (705)541-1567: Most hazardous material for proper disposal and recycling (see website; closed in winter). 

Cliff Armstrong, 705-992-5731: Scrap metal, appliances, electronics, yard tools, batteries, tire rims (remove tires from steel ones). Call to arrange pickup.

Community Living Algoma, 99 Northern Ave., (705)253-1700: Clean reusable shopping bags.

Diabetes Canada, (800)505-5525: Clothing and textiles, small household items, home decor, shoes, other items (see website). 

Dragonfly Shop, 454 Queen St. E., (705)450-0449: Clothing and textiles, small household items, home decor, shoes, other items (see Facebook page). 

Emmanuel United Church, 224 Bennett Blvd., (705)946-4949: Clean, unused woven cotton or cotton/poly fabric for making chemo caps. 

Farmgate Farms, email Rita Collins at farmgateraw@gmail.com: Spoiled fruit/vegetables, grass clippings, leaves. Please no invasive plant material.

Habitat for Humanity ReStore, Cambrian Mall (Willow Ave. side), (705)941-9646: Appliances and electronics (including broken ones!), antiques, furniture, tools, flooring, scrap metal, other items (see website). They do curbside pickup by appointment

Harvest Algoma, 446 Second Line E., (705)253-0273: Food, food preparation items (jars, storage containers), egg cartons, vegetable seeds, personal hygiene items, clean boxes, other items (see website). 

Hearterra, 73 Brock St., (705)910-9514. Offers refilling for cleaning and personal care products — BYOB. 

Humane Society, 962 Second Line E., 705-949-3573: Pet toys, blankets, pet beds, wood shavings (for small critter cages), pet treats, Lock City Dairy milk bags, other items (see website). 

Just Junk, (705)910-0006: Picks up for a fee; will recycle/donate everything possible. 

KARE Blankets, ka.swyers@gmail.com: Yarn (new/partial), which is used to make blankets for the homeless, care homes, nonprofits, first responders, shelters, etc. See her post in the Cheap or Free in Sault Ste. Marie Facebook group.

Kidney Clothes, 424 Pim St., Unit B, (800)414-3484: Used clothing, luggage and sleeping bags, bedding, accessories, other items (see website). 

Lemieux Composting: PERMANENTLY CLOSED.

Libraries: accept/sell most books, magazines, DVDs, CDs:

Metro, Churchill Plaza and next to Value Village: Soft plastics such as single-use plastic grocery bags. 

OC Beauty, 298 Wellington Street W.: Offers refilling for cleaning and personal care products you’ve purchased there. 

Optometrists/opticians: Eyeglasses (all should have a donation box).

Pauline’s Place, 235 Wellington Street W., (705)759-4663: Non-perishable food, household supplies, paper products (paper towels, toilet paper, tissues), hygiene products, gently used clothes and linens, other items (see website). 

Pharmacies: Unused medications and sharps.

Sault Community Career Centre: Various items related to new immigrant settlement but especially furniture and kitchen items. Tall, narrow dressers are in high demand. Email them at info@saultcareercentre.ca to get on their distribution list. 

Sault Ste. Marie Helping Hands, 346 Welllington St. W.: Gently used clothing, household items, new personal care items, clean plastic shopping bags (see Facebook page). 

Skeleton Key Used Bookstore, 288 Korah Rd., 705) 987-1173. Used books of all genres, paper and cloth bags (see Facebook page). 

Soup Kitchen Community Centre, 172 James St., (705)942-2694: Food items, clean hard plastic takeout containers, hygiene products, gently used clothing and household articles, toys, other items (see website). 

SOYA (Save Our Young Adults), 178 Gore St.: Gently used clean clothes, working small kitchen appliances, dishes, housewares, footwear and jackets, personal hygiene, pet food, pantry items, and school supplies.

St. Vincent Place, 222 Albert St. E., (705)253-2770: Non-perishable food, toiletries, winter hats and mitts, small kitchen appliances and accessories, kitchen utensils, bedding, clothing, books, clean plastic shopping bags, and other items (see website). 

Staples, 345 Great Northern Rd., (705)256-1466: Ink and toner cartridges, mobile phones, personal electronics, rechargeable batteries (see website). 

The Animal Assistance Group, 254 Letcher St., (705)575-7030: Pet beds, cat towers, pet food, cat litter, cat toys, cat carriers, large wire crates, cleaning supplies, pop can tabs, Lock City Dairy milk bags, Canadian Tire money. 

Tire sellers: Any store that sells tires should accept used tires for recycling. When you buy tires, a recycling fee is built into the cost. 

Triple M Metal, 131 Yates Ave., (705)759-1090: Most scrap metal, other items containing metals (see website). 

Value Village, 248 Northern Ave., (705)256-1801: Accessories, clothing and shoes, electronics, toys and games, other items (see website). 

Also see Pawnshops/Second-Hand Stores/Scrap Yards in the Yellow Pages or search online. 

See any errors in or omissions from the list? Please email us at info@cleannorth.org and let us know. 

For more recycling tips…

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