How to Make Your Ottawa Move More Eco-Friendly — Practical Steps

Moving generates a surprising amount of waste — cardboard, plastic wrap, unwanted furniture, food that doesn’t survive the transition. Most of it is avoidable with a bit of planning. Here’s what actually makes a difference when moving in Ottawa, with specific local resources rather than generic advice.

Declutter Before You Pack — and Donate Locally

The most effective environmental decision you can make before a move is to move less. Every item you don’t pack is packaging you don’t need, truck space you don’t use, and fuel you don’t burn. For most households, a genuine pre-move cull reduces volume by 15–25%.

The key is doing it early enough that you can donate rather than discard. Most donation organisations in Ottawa need a few days’ notice for pickups, and charity shops have intake limits. If you leave decluttering to the week before the move, donation often isn’t logistically possible and things end up in the trash that didn’t need to.

Helping With Furniture (HWF) — volunteer-run charity at 1455 Michael Street that furnishes homes for refugees and people in housing hardship. Accepts sofas, chairs, dressers, and household goods in good condition. Book pickup at hwfottawa.org or drop off Wednesdays 6–9pm and Saturdays 10am–1pm.

Matthew House Ottawa Furniture Bank — 700 Industrial Avenue. Accepts furniture donations with scheduled pickup starting at $60; issues tax receipts. All drop-offs must be scheduled in advance.

Salvation Army Ottawa — pickup service for furniture and household goods. Call 613-247-1435 ext. 228 to arrange. Condition requirements apply.

Ottawa Food Bank — for non-perishable pantry items you’re not taking. Moving is one of the best times to clear out a pantry. Drop-off locations across the city.

Facebook Marketplace and Kijiji — for furniture and appliances in good condition. Free listings move quickly, especially near the April 30th and June 30th lease turnover dates when people are actively furnishing new places.

Buy Nothing Ottawa groups — neighbourhood Facebook groups where you can offer items for free pickup. Items typically disappear within hours of posting.

Start donating six to eight weeks before the move, not the week before. Charities like HWF and Matthew House need advance scheduling, and donation shops can only accept limited volume at a time.

Cut Packing Waste with Smarter Materials

Standard cardboard boxes and plastic bubble wrap are the default — but neither is necessary for most of a home’s contents, and both generate significant waste.

Rent reusable plastic bins. Companies like Gorilla Bins rent hard-sided plastic moving bins in Ottawa that you return after the move. No cardboard, no tape, no recycling pile at the other end. They stack efficiently and protect contents better than cardboard. Cost is comparable to buying boxes.

Use what you already own. Towels, blankets, clothing, and tea towels all work as padding. Wrap dishes in tea towels instead of paper. Stuff shoes with socks. Use oven mitts to protect fragile items. Professional packers do exactly this.

Source free boxes. Liquor stores, bookshops, and grocery stores in Ottawa regularly have clean boxes available. The LCBO in particular has excellent sturdy boxes with built-in dividers ideal for glasses and bottles. Ask a few days in advance rather than the day before.

Skip bubble wrap for most items. Bubble wrap is necessary for genuine fragiles like stemware and ceramics. For everything else — books, clothes, pots and pans — it adds waste without adding protection. Unprinted packing paper is more versatile and recyclable.

If you end up with cardboard boxes after the move, list them free on Facebook Marketplace or Kijiji immediately. Clean moving boxes are in constant demand in Ottawa, especially near the end of April and June. Bubble wrap and plastic film can go to the plastic film recycling bins at most major Ottawa grocery stores — Loblaws, Metro, and Walmart locations accept clean plastic film through the Wrap Recycling Action Program.

Move More in Fewer Trips

The environmental impact of a move is largely determined by fuel — how much the truck burns and how many trips it makes. Every additional trip doubles the fuel cost and emissions for that portion of the move.

The most effective thing you can do to reduce fuel use is to be completely ready when the movers arrive. Unpacked items, furniture that needs disassembly on the day, and disorganised piles all slow loading down and sometimes force additional trips. A well-packed, well-labelled, ready-to-go home loads faster, uses less truck space through better stacking, and often fits into a single load that a disorganised move would need two loads for.

• Pack boxes to a consistent size and weight so they stack efficiently in the truck — irregular piles waste cubic footage and lead to second trips
• Disassemble large furniture before move day where possible — a disassembled bed frame takes a fraction of the space of an assembled one. Foosun’s furniture disassembly service is included in standard quotes
• Discuss truck size with your mover when booking — a truck that’s too small guarantees multiple trips; one correctly sized for your volume minimises them
• If you’re donating items en route between your old and new address, coordinate this with your mover in advance rather than making a separate trip later

Dispose of What You’re Not Taking — Responsibly

Some things can’t be donated or reused and need to be disposed of. Ottawa has good infrastructure for this — the key is knowing which item goes where rather than putting everything in the garbage bin.

Large furniture that can’t be donated. The City of Ottawa accepts bulky items like couches and mattresses as part of curbside collection under the three-item garbage limit. A couch counts as one item. Set it out on your regular collection morning. See the full guide on getting rid of a couch in Ottawa for all options.

Electronics (e-waste). Televisions, computers, phones, and appliances cannot go in the regular garbage or blue bin. Drop them off at the City of Ottawa’s Trail Road facility at 4475 Trail Road, Nepean, or at designated e-waste depots. Many electronics retailers also accept old devices.

Hazardous household waste. Paint, solvents, cleaning chemicals, and propane tanks require special disposal. The City of Ottawa’s Hazardous Waste Depot at Trail Road accepts these year-round. Use the City of Ottawa Waste Explorer tool to confirm disposal instructions for any specific item — it’s more reliable than guessing which bin something goes in.

Medications. Unused medications should not go in the garbage or down the drain. Most Ottawa pharmacies accept them for safe disposal at no charge.

Appliances. Working appliances can often be donated or listed free. Non-working appliances containing refrigerants — fridges, freezers, air conditioners — require special handling and are accepted at Trail Road with doors removed.

Ottawa Resources for Reuse and Sharing

Ottawa has a well-developed network of reuse and sharing resources that are particularly useful around a move — both for getting rid of things and for furnishing a new place without buying everything new.

Buy Nothing Ottawa — neighbourhood Facebook groups organised by area. Post items for free and local neighbours claim them. Particularly active in Kanata, Barrhaven, Orléans, Centretown, and the Glebe.

Bunz Trading Zone — Ottawa has an active Bunz community where items are traded rather than sold. Useful for things that have value but aren’t worth the effort of a Marketplace listing.

Ottawa Tool Library — if you need moving equipment for a DIY portion of your move, the Ottawa Tool Library loans tools and equipment at low cost. Moving dollies, straps, and similar items are often available.

ReStore Ottawa — the Habitat for Humanity ReStore on Carling Avenue sells donated furniture, appliances, and building materials at reduced prices. Stock changes constantly and quality is often excellent for furnishing a new place.

Value Village — Ottawa has several locations with regular furniture inventory. The Bank Street and Innes Road locations tend to have the largest furniture sections.

Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace — most active around the June 30th lease turnover when large volumes of furniture become available as people downsize or leave the city.

Setting Up Your New Home with Less Waste

The first few days in a new home tend to generate disproportionate waste — cleaning supplies, takeout containers, and impulse purchases of things that turn out not to be needed. A bit of planning keeps this in check.

• Unpack your open-first box before buying anything — most people find they have more of what they need than they thought once immediate essentials are accessible
• Wait a week before buying furniture or storage for the new place — you need to live in the space to understand what it actually needs, rather than buying based on a floor plan
• Use up cleaning supplies from your old place before buying new ones — most travel fine sealed in a bag inside a box
• Set up your blue bin, green bin, and garbage container immediately so waste separation starts from day one
• Check your new collection schedule at ottawa.ca — pickup days vary by neighbourhood and the green bin, blue bin, and garbage are often on different schedules in different parts of the city

The most sustainable purchase is the one you don’t make. Before buying any new item for the new home, check whether you already own something that serves the same function, whether it’s available secondhand, or whether you genuinely need it in the first week versus later.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ottawa-specific resources including charity contacts, disposal facilities, and recycling programs are subject to change. Confirm current details directly with each organisation before your move.