If anything is a guarantee in home renovation projects, it’s the trash. While the “out with the old, in with the new” mentality is a common way to approach home improvement, it often leads to a needless excess of waste ending up in an already overburdened landfill. With Habitat HMD’s ReStores, there’s a way to renovate and remain environmentally conscious. Here are 8 renovation donations we’ll take off your hands to make renovating with a clear conscience easy for you.
1. Tubs, toilets & sinks
We’ll gladly accept donations of all new bathtubs, toilets and sinks, but we have specific requirements for what conditions we require to accept gently-used bathroom items.
Tubs
We’re unable to accept tubs that have been cemented or tiled in, because their integrity may be compromised. This is due to a combination of potential damage during the removal process or natural warping from time.
If your tub is free-standing (not tiled or cemented in) or has claw feet, then we’re happy to accept your donation. Please ensure that the porcelain is not stained or chipped.
Toilets
Donations of toilets we’ll accept also cannot be cemented or tiled in.
To align with environmental regulations, we can only take low-flush toilets. Low-flush toilets use less water per flush (generally 4.8 litres or less per flush, as opposed to 6 litres or more). You can usually find this information printed somewhere on your toilet.
Sinks
We’ll accept all donations of sinks in new or gently-used condition, as long as it’s free of chips or stains. Your sink can even be donated if it’s still attached to a vanity.
2. Working appliances
If you’re looking to renovate your home with some new appliances, we greatly appreciate the donation of your old ones. As long as they’re in clean, working condition, we’ll put them for sale in our ReStores to help local families access affordable appliances.
We’ll take large or small appliances, like stoves, fridges, dishwashers, washing machines, TVs, microwaves, and more.
3. Lighting
Our ReStores feature a wide variety of light fixtures, including chandeliers, flush ceiling lights and floor, desk or table lamps. As long as it’s in working order, we’d love to add your donation to our selection of lights.
4. Doors and windows
If you’re replacing interior or exterior doors, we’re the perfect place to bring your old one. Whether it’s wood or steel, traditionally styled or funky and unique, we’ll find a new home for your door.
We ask that doors be in gently-used condition, and for sliding glass doors or windows, the glass must be undamaged. When it’s free from holes or cracks, we can ensure that the glass will keep it’s stability without worry of it shattering.
5. Cabinets
Cabinets are a great item to donate during renovation, because if you’re replacing all the cabinetry in your kitchen, that could mean a lot of waste. By opting to donate to the ReStore instead, you could be providing a local family with an entire set of reasonably-priced cabinets to furnish their home.
Any drawers or doors on your cabinets should be working. If your cabinet has minor cosmetic damage, we’re still happy to accept it! Our ReVive Centre has worked some wonders on breathing new life into old cabinets.
6. Door or cabinet handles
Handles might seem like an insignificant item during your home renovation, so they’re often overlooked during the donation process. But they’re often the items that are kept in the best condition so they’re perfect for resale.
To maximize the utility of your donation, it’s a good idea to keep your handles together when donating to the ReStore. A simple step like placing them in a ziplock bag can greatly speed up the resale process, as shoppers are more likely to purchase handles that come in a set.
Flooring
Flooring is a renovation material that we only accept when it’s brand-new. Whether it’s wood or tile flooring, we’re unable to take your donation if it’s already been used and removed.
The reason for this is because flooring works a bit like a puzzle. The pieces fit perfectly when it’s brand new, but over time, they warp and change their shape. They’re further damaged during the removal process, meaning that if we were to try to reinstall this flooring in another home, the edges wouldn’t line up.
If you’re hanging onto flooring that you haven’t gotten around to installing and your tastes have changed, then our ReStores are a great place to bring it.
8. Construction Materials
Habitat HMD is greatly in need of construction materials because they help keep our costs of building affordable housing low. We won’t accept these items directly through our ReStore, but it’s a type of donation that we call a Gift-in-Kind.
Gift-in-kind includes donations of goods and services. For your construction materials, this might include bricks, siding, shingles, lumber, drywall, plumbing, electrical and paint. They keep our construction costs low, because your donation equals one less item we have to purchase ourselves. This enables us to stretch our resources further, so we can build more local affordable housing.
To learn more about donating renovation construction materials, or to fill out the donation form, click here.
Why donate renovation waste to the ReStore?
A socially conscious choice
Not only is your donation of items from renovating a way to divert unnecessary waste from its fate at the dump, it also helps to fuel Habitat’s mission. With the goal of constructing as many affordable homes as we can for hardworking and dedicated families within our community, every donation helps push us further.
Your donation of items to our ReStores helps us cover costs of administration. When these necessary expenses are covered, it means that we can use every donation we receive to support our build projects.
Tax receipts for every donation
To recognize the impact your donation has, Habitat HMD offers charitable tax receipts for every donation of items. The tax receipt will be worth the value of items donated.
At Habitat HMD we value every donation we receive, because they make our work possible.
Free kitchen salvage services
Did you know Habitat HMD offers free kitchen salvage? Our team of highly-skilled volunteers will take care of removing your kitchen and we’ll salvage the items for resale in our ReStore. This means none of the work for you, with all of the same benefits.
To learn more about this program, click here.
Free indoor donation pickup
We’re the only charity offering free indoor donation pickup, and it’s because we want to make the process of donating as easy for you as possible. We don’t want anyone to be limited with what they’re able to donate because the item is too big to safely move on their own.
To learn more about free indoor donation pickup, click here.
ReStore Locations
If you’re interested in dropping off your donation at one of our ReStores, here are our locations:
Burlington
Location: 1800 Appleby Line, L7L 6A1
Hours: Mon-Sat 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Phone: 906-637-4446
Mississauga
Location: 4500 Dixie Road, L4W 1V7
Hours: Mon-Sat 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Phone: 905-828-0987
Orangeville
Location: 202 First St , L9W 3K1
Hours: Mon-Sat 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Phone: 519-415-4500
If you have any questions about which renovation donations we’ll accept, feel free to call the phone numbers listed above or send us an email at restore@habitathm.ca.
By: Olivia Kabelin
Updated: July 5, 2021