What to donate

Goodwill NCW encourages your donations of clothing, shoes, housewares, jewelry, books, furniture, toys and, yes, even Christmas lights!

We can transform items you no longer need into wonderful opportunities for people in our home communities, including vocational and family programs as well as services fostering diversity and financial education.

Please note that more and more for-profit thrift shops are moving into north central Wisconsin communities. If you donate to one of those organizations, you may not be eligible for a tax deduction, and revenues earned might not be returned to your community to fund programs and services. If either of those concepts is important to you, ask the shop if it is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and request a report showing how its funds are used before you decide where to donate.

Are there items Goodwill cannot accept?

Yes, and the list changes frequently. We must say “no thank you” to some items for one or more of the following reasons:

• It is hazardous material that would create danger in our workplace or be costly to dispose of.
• Experience tells us that it will not sell in our stores, and we would eventually have to pay to dispose of it in a landfill.
• It is too heavy or bulky, or too costly, for our people to handle.
• It has been recalled — or listed as potentially harmful — by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

While we take every effort to keep this list up-to-date, sometimes we must stop taking an item before it makes our list. Please by understanding if a donation attendant says we cannot accept something that is not on the list.

Wisconsin Clean Sweeps

If you have a hazardous material that needs to be disposed of, you can find a Clean Sweep schedule for household and agricultural waste for each county in Wisconsin at cleansweep.wi.gov. For specific disposal information, visit http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Waste/HouseholdHW.html.

Items that we’re currently unable to accept…

Hazardous liquids and other materials we’re currently unable to accept…

* This is not a complete list; please ask your donation attendant about any item you think is questionable. Please contact your local hazardous waste/recycling center or landfill for advice on how to dispose of these materials safely.