Donate Goods
We accept donations of most materials in good, clean, reusable condition at our two ReUse Center locations. Our donation acceptance areas are currently open Sunday-Wednesday and Friday-Saturday, 10 am – 6 pm (Closed on Thursdays). See our donation acceptance guidelines below for more detail and what we can and cannot accept.
Schedule a Pickup
We are currently accepting pick-up requests from businesses, educational institutions, or large residential donations, especially furniture. Click here to put in a request through out online form.
Donation Receipt Form
Save time by filling out our printable Donation Receipt form. Enter your information and the items you are bringing to donate, print it out, and bring it with you to our Donations Intake desk with your items. This form becomes a valid tax receipt after being stamped by Finger Lakes ReUse.
Donation Guidelines
Finger Lakes ReUse accepts quality used and surplus building materials, furniture, housewares, clothing, books, media, electronics, and much more. Your donations may be tax deductible and Finger Lakes ReUse will provide a donation receipt for your tax purposes. All items must be complete, clean, and in good usable condition, and FLR reserves the right to turn away any donation that has the potential to pose a health risk to its volunteers, customers, or staff.
Please call (607) 257-9699 to verify acceptable items, as donation policies frequently change without notice based on space availability.
Please click on the categories below for more department-specific details about what we can and cannot accept.
BUILDING MATERIALS
Finger Lakes ReUse can accept a wide variety of building materials in reusable condition, including lumber, doors, hardware, tools and much more!
Finger Lakes ReUse cannot accept:
Materials that are damaged, cracked, broken, rotted, warped, or mildewed
Materials with peeling or flaking paint
Lumber and wood trim shorter than 6 feet
Irregularly cut sheet goods (plywood, paneling, drywall, etc.)
Countertops shorter than 12 inches
Windows, cabinets, or doors with missing or broken pieces
Unframed/loose glass panes
Doors that are unevenly cut
Single light window sashes
Used carpet
Composite sinks
Painted trim
Tiles that are broken, chipped, stained, or have mortar or glue on any side
Hazardous, toxic, or combustible materials such as gasoline, kerosene, etc.
Open/used paint
Propane tanks
Chemicals of any kind
FURNITURE
Finger Lakes ReUse can accept most furniture in good reusable condition.
Finger Lakes ReUse cannot accept:
Mattresses, box springs, waterbeds, or waterbed accessories
Furniture that is broken, unassembled, incomplete, stained, torn, or has odors
Plastic furniture that’s not in excellent, clean and unbroken condition
HOME ELECTRONICS
Finger Lakes ReUse can accept most consumer electronics in good, reusable, and working condition.
Finger Lakes ReUse cannot accept televisions that are:
Older than 7 years
Cable incompatible
Console style
Black & white
Regarding Apple iPhones/iPads: If locked, please provide the passcode or reset the item to factory default settings before donating your item.
MEDIA
Finger Lakes Reuse will accept the following media:
Commercially released, studio produced VHS tapes and DVDs
Commercially released, studio produced CDs, 8-tracks and cassettes
LP records with intact, undamaged covers; records can’t be moldy
Blank, unused DVDs
Finger Lakes ReUse cannot accept:
Empty CD, DVD, cassette or other media cases
Electric typewriters (and cases)
BOOKS
Finger Lakes ReUse can accept most books in good reusable condition.
Finger Lakes ReUse cannot accept:
Moldy books
Books with strong odors, such as smoke and mildew
Books with broken spines or missing pages
Books with excessive writing or highlighting
Water damaged books
Large volume encyclopedias, such as Britannica
COMPUTER AND PERIPHERALS
Finger Lakes ReUse can accept most computers and computer-related parts, working or not.
Finger Lakes ReUse cannot accept:
Printers or copiers that one person cannot safely lift and carry, i.e. floor model copiers, large office laser printers
Physically cracked or broken CRT monitors (they are classified as hazardous waste)
Floppy disks of any type or size, used or unused
Computer disks, with the exception of commercially released computer games in original packaging
Media storage containers made of plastic, e.g. floppy disk containers, CD carousels, projector carousels, etc.
Regarding Apple iPhones/iPads: If locked, please provide the passcode or reset the item to factory default settings before donating your item.
APPLIANCES
Finger Lakes ReUse can accept small and large household appliances that are in good, clean, reusable, and working condition.
Refrigerators, Dehumidifiers, Air Conditioners or any appliance using freon cooling agent will be accepted for a fee of $20 ($18.52+ Sales Tax). The fee is collected to cover costs if the unit must be recycled.
The $20 fee will be returned to the donor in the form of a coupon for $20 off one transaction at either store.
TEXTILES
Finger Lakes ReUse can accept adult and children’s clothing, shoes, jackets, linens, blankets and all other types of textiles that are in clean and reuseable condition (no stains, tears or rips).
Finger Lakes ReUse cannot accept moldy or wet clothing and other textiles.
HOUSEHOLD AND OTHER ITEMS
Finger Lakes ReUse can accept a wide variety of household goods in clean, reusable, and working condition.
Finger Lakes ReUse cannot accept:
Child safety items such as car seats and bicycle helmets
Used Personal care items such as hairbrushes, nail care items, etc.
Blinds of all types can ONLY be accepted if complete, in their box, and in new condition
Unframed, non-beveled mirrors
Bed pillows (decorative pillows are ok)
Dirty or broken packing materials (soiled packing peanuts, popped bubble wrap/air pillows)
Hard/form-fitting styrofoam
All / used or unused Fluorescent bulbs
Any recalled products or items
*Please note that some items Finger Lakes ReUse cannot accept may be donated to other nonprofit programs, or recycled or disposed of at the Tompkins County Solid Waste & Recycling Center, at 122 Commercial Ave, Ithaca. For more information on recycling or disposal in Tompkins County, call (607) 273-6632 or visit recycletompkins.org for further information.
*The Consumer Product Safety Act prohibits the selling of recalled products, and Finger Lakes ReUse makes every effort to fully comply with these regulations.