Overview
Reduce, reuse, repeat. Let's build a zero-waste campus together.
The Free Store is a Sustainability Office initiative to divert waste from the landfill. This program helps to rehome items that are still in usable condition to those that want and need them, such as home goods, kitchenware, school supplies and more. Learn more about what items we'll be collecting, where you can drop off donations, and when and where to find pop-ups across campus.
Upcoming pop-ups
We host quick 2-hour pop-ups around campus where you can browse a selection of our Free Store inventory. Take whatever you need (it's free!). We also accept item and seed donations at our pop-ups. Check out our list of acceptable donation items and accepted seeds
- Thursday, March 6, 12pm-2pm: SLC Marketplace
- Thursday, April 3, 12pm-2pm: SLC Marketplace
Donations
The Free Store will gladly accept donations of your gently used items. Donations can be dropped off at the Sustainability Office (CPH 2385) on Mondays and Tuesdays from 10:00am to 3:00pm or by appointment. Donations can also be made at pop-up events. Please email sustainability@uwaterloo.ca to arrange a drop-off or if you have any questions about making a donation.
Acceptable items
All items must be clean and in good working order. Please note that while this list serves as a donation guideline, we reserve the right to refuse any items not suitable for donation.
- Art supplies (e.g. canvases, fabric, paint and brushes, yarn)
- Books
- Entertainment (e.g. board games, cards, toys, video games)
- Electronics (e.g. keyboards, lamps, tabletop fans)
- Home goods/décor (e.g. art prints, picture frames, wall art, trinkets)
- Kitchenware (e.g. cups, plates, utensils, reusable mugs, water bottles, kettles, toasters)
- Office/school supplies (e.g. notebooks, stationery, backpacks)
- Storage (e.g. bins, pencil holders, baskets)
Not accepted items
- University owned items cannot be donated to the Free Store. For more information on asset disposals, please see Policy 74, Capital and Non-Capital Assets.
- Food (Non-perishable items can be donated to WUSA Food Support)
- Furniture or large appliances (Check out Central Stores' surplus program or platforms like Kijiji/Facebook Marketplace instead)
- Hazardous materials (Departments should work with the Safety Office for proper disposal. Do not bring hazardous materials originating from home to campus. They CANNOT be disposed of here and should instead be taken to regional waste disposal sites following all of their guidelines.)
- Knives or other sharp materials
- Shoes (Consider donating to the WUSA Thrift Store)
- Textiles (Consider donating to the WUSA Thrift Store)
- Toiletries
Overview
Together, let's grow food security and biodiversity one seed at a time.
The Free Store Seed Library is an initiative developed to promote sustainable food systems, enhance food security, and support biodiversity within the university community. By providing free access to native and non-invasive seeds and facilitating community seed sharing, the initiative empowers members to grow their own food and connect meaningfully with nature. It fosters resilient, self-sufficient communities and encourages experiential learning, contributing to awareness of the environmental impacts production, consumption, and disposal patterns in the food system have globally and locally. The project aligns with the university's sustainability goals, recognizing the physical and mental health benefits of engaging with native and seasonal crops and the role native species play in aiding local biodiversity, ecology, and ecosystem services.
Borrowing
The Free Store Seed Library welcomes drop-in visits from students, staff, and faculty for donations and borrowing on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 1:00pm to 3:00pm at the Sustainability Office (CPH 2385). Envelopes will be provided to visitors with 5-10 seeds per envelope, depending on age and likelihood of germination, ensuring everyone has access to our collection!
The Free Store Seed Library will also be present at Free Store shop-ups, where visitors can borrow and/or make donations.
At the end of the growing season, we invite borrowers to harvest seeds from their plants and contribute back to the Free Store Seed Library to promote seed sharing within our community.
Donations
The Sustainability Office welcomes members of the university to drop off seed donations at the Sustainability Office (CPH 2385) on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 1:00pm to 3:00pm, or by appointment. Donations can also be made at Free Store shop-up events. Please email sustainability@uwaterloo.ca to arrange an alternative drop-off or if you have any questions about making a seed donation.
We welcome both commercially packaged seeds and seeds harvested from your garden but ask that those donating ensure the seeds are clean, dry, viable (not moldy) and labelled appropriately with the seed type, variety, and year.
Please note that we reserve the right to refuse any seeds not suitable for donation.
Accepted seeds
We gladly accept donations of native wildflower and grass seeds to support local biodiversity, as well as non-invasive fruit and vegetable seeds to promote sustainable food cultivation. Some examples of accepted native and non-native seeds are:
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Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)
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Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosum)
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Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
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Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)
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Spotted Joe-Pye Weed (Eupatorium maculatum)
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Meadow Blazing Star (Liatris ligulistylis)
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Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
- Peppers
- Cabbage
- Tomatoes
- Melons
- Strawberries
- Squash
- Carrots
- Lettuce
- Poppies
- Marigolds
- Zinnias
- Sunflowers
- Cosmos
- Pansies
- Geraniums
- Daylilies
Not accepted seeds
To protect local ecosystems, we do not accept seeds from invasive species such as garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata), common reed (Phragmites australis), periwinkle (Vinca minor), and wood forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica). These plants can disrupt native habitats and biodiversity. Please choose seeds that contribute positively to our environment when donating to the Free Store Seed Library.
Seed viability and accuracy
While the Free Store Seed Library aims to provide high-quality seeds that are accurate to their label, there is no guarantee that all seeds will germinate or grow accurately due to our reliance on donations. We try to assess the seeds individually, but it is the borrower’s responsibility after borrowing to handle/assess the seeds and provide proper growing conditions.