Appliance disposal in Ottawa: where an old fridge, stove or washer can actually go.
The City of Ottawa does not pick up appliances at the curb. Stoves, refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, dryers, dishwashers, hot water tanks, furnaces and oil tanks all need their own way out, and there are four. A working appliance can go to Habitat for Humanity's ReStore, which offers free pickup for large appliance donations within its service area. The store delivering a new one may take the old one back, sometimes for a fee. You can drive it to the Trail Waste Facility yourself, where the City takes source-separated scrap metal at no charge. Or a crew carries it out. One rule sits over all of it for anything that cools: a fridge, freezer, air conditioner or dehumidifier has to have its refrigerant removed and be tagged by a certified technician before a landfill will let it through the gate.
Fridge in the basement?
Send a photo of the appliance and the stairs it has to come up. You get a price before anything is lifted.
(613) 852-4059Can an old appliance go out at the curb in Ottawa?
No. The City's special items page says it does not pick up appliances such as stoves, refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, dryers, dishwashers, hot water tanks, furnaces or oil tanks at the curb, and that residents must make their own arrangements to have them taken away.
Furniture gets the opposite treatment. A sofa or a dresser goes out on garbage day for free and counts as one of your three items. A washer set down beside it stays where it is.
The City's Waste Explorer, its item-by-item lookup, files appliances as prohibited material that cannot go in the regular garbage at all. It points instead to Take It Back! retailers, to a licensed dealer for any refrigerant, and to Trail Road or a metal recycler for the metal.
The fridge rule: refrigerant out, tag on.
Fridges, freezers, air conditioners and dehumidifiers carry one more rule than a stove does. The City's special items page says all refrigerators, freezers, air conditioning units and dehumidifiers must have their cooling chemicals removed and be tagged by a certified technician before they are brought to a landfill site. Any item without a tag is refused entry.
The Waste Explorer words it as a trade job: refrigerant must be removed by a licensed dealer, and residents are pointed to licensed dealers in the city who provide refrigerant removal.
Refrigerant on its own is household hazardous waste in the same lookup. It goes back to the retailer it came from, to a Take It Back! member or to one of the City's one-day household hazardous waste events, and never into the garbage or down a sink. Paint, propane and the rest of that list are in our guide to what a junk removal truck will not take.
Nobody checks for the tag when you load the trailer at home. The check happens at the landfill gate, after the drive.
Taking it to Trail Road: free, if it is only metal.
Ottawa's landfill charges nothing for scrap metal, and the City counts an appliance as scrap metal. The 2026 rate card for the Trail Waste Facility lists scrap metal as free, for source-separated metals with no garbage in the load.
The Waste Explorer spells it out for appliances: an appliance is or contains scrap metal, which can be taken to the Trail Road Waste Facility and disposed of without a tipping fee as long as it is kept separate from other loads. Mix it with other material or garbage and tipping fees apply.
Keep it separate. A stove alone in the back of a pickup crosses the scale as scrap. The same stove under a load of renovation garbage becomes part of a garbage load, charged at the 2026 residential rate of $172.70 a tonne with a $43.20 minimum under 250 kg. A load that mixes garbage with recyclable material is $345.40 a tonne.
Oil tanks have a rule of their own on the same page: they must be cut in half or perforated many times before they are accepted, and the City says to call a waste disposal company if you are not equipped to do that safely.
The scale house takes Interac, Visa, Amex and Mastercard, and not cash or personal cheques. Steel-toe boots and a high-visibility vest are required at the main tipping areas, and a vest costs $8.50 there. Our Trail Road landfill guide has the address, the hours and the rest of the rate card.
A fridge, freezer, air conditioner or dehumidifier needs its tag before it goes in as scrap. For anything else metal, the City also names local metal recyclers as the alternative to Trail Road.
Does Hydro Ottawa still pick up old fridges?
No. The free fridge and freezer pickup that still shows up in searches for fridge disposal in Ottawa was a program Hydro Ottawa offered with Ontario Power Authority funding, and its flyer told customers to book by December 31, 2014. It only took full-sized fridges at least 15 years old and freezers at least 20, in working condition.
Save on Energy runs Ontario's conservation programs now. On 2026-09-26 its For Your Home page listed two programs, Home Renovation Savings and the Energy Affordability Program, and no fridge or freezer pickup.
The Energy Affordability Program is the nearest thing to the old offer, for households that qualify on income. An energy-efficiency expert visits for a free assessment, and depending on eligibility and what is already in the home, the program can replace eligible appliances with energy-efficient refrigerators, freezers, dehumidifiers or a window air conditioner, at no cost.
Eligibility runs on before-tax household income for the previous year: up to $48,220 for one person, $96,439 for four and $127,576 for seven or more. Whoever applies must also be named on the electricity account. Having received the Ontario Electricity Support Program, the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program, the Ontario Disability Support Program, Ontario Works or the Guaranteed Income Supplement in the past 12 months also qualifies, and so does living in eligible social housing.
Donating one that still works.
Habitat for Humanity Greater Ottawa's ReStore takes large and small household appliances, as long as they work. Its own page says it offers free pickup for large furniture and appliance donations within its service area, booked online or by calling a ReStore.
One appliance carries a condition on its list: dishwashers, only with a stainless steel interior. Like everything it takes, an appliance that is dirty, damaged or shows mould, rot or rust is turned away. It asks donors to call first, because it sometimes stops accepting a product when supply runs ahead of demand.
The stores are at 250 City Centre Avenue, 768 Belfast Road in the Train Yards and 3 Iber Road in Stittsville. Donations are resold with no HST charged and the money funds Habitat's homes. A tax receipt is available on request for an item valued above $100, once it has sold.
If the ReStore passes, a working appliance can still go to a neighbour. The City is promoting Giveaway Weekend on October 3 and 4, 2026, for Circular Economy Month, when residents set out gently used items for others to take, and its Bulky Waste page names free giveaway platforms including the Buy Nothing Project, Bunz and Ottawa Freecycle. The same charities' terms for sofas and dressers are in our furniture disposal guide.
Handing it back to the store.
The City's first suggestion for an unwanted appliance is the store. Its special items page says to take appliances back to participating retailers, and the Waste Explorer lists Take It Back! members that accept appliances and refrigerators for reuse, recycling or proper disposal.
Two details in that lookup matter before delivery day. Residents must phone ahead before returning an item. And the list comes in two halves: members that take the item, and members that charge residents a fee to take it.
The moment to arrange it is at the till. Ask whether the delivery crew takes the old unit, what that costs, and what state it has to be in, then plan the day around the answer.
Getting it out of the house is the hard part.
The chest freezer at the bottom of the basement stairs, the fridge that came in with its doors off, the stacked washer and dryer in a condo closet: getting it to a truck is the actual job.
Appliance removal is part of our junk removal service. We take every appliance: fridges, freezers, air conditioners and dehumidifiers, tagged or not, plus stoves, washers, dryers, dishwashers and hot water tanks. You do not need the tag before we arrive.
Metal comes out of the load as it goes on the truck, because a separated stove crosses the Trail Road scale for free and a buried one does not. Doorways, stairs and floors get protected on the way out. We work across Ottawa, Kanata, Barrhaven, Orleans, Nepean, Gloucester and Gatineau, and same-day or next-day service is available.
It costs money, and most of the routes above do not. One working fridge and a free Saturday: donate it or hand it back to the store. A basement of dead appliances and a closing date: send us photos.
Getting a price.
Call or text (613) 852-4059, or email info@ottawasiterestoration.ca, with a photo of each appliance and where it sits: which floor, how many stairs, and whether it is still hooked up. The price is agreed before anything is lifted.
If the appliances are part of a whole house being emptied, our estate cleanout page explains how that job runs.
Every way out for an old appliance, and what each one asks of you.
Rules and figures from the City of Ottawa, Habitat for Humanity Greater Ottawa and Save on Energy pages, read on 2026-09-26, and linked at the foot of this page.
| Route | Pickup or drop-off | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| The curb | Not collected. | The City picks up no appliance at the curb: stoves, fridges, freezers, air conditioners, dryers, dishwashers, hot water tanks, furnaces and oil tanks all need another route. |
| Habitat for Humanity ReStore, 250 City Centre Avenue, 768 Belfast Road and 3 Iber Road, Stittsville | Free pickup for large appliance donations inside its service area, or drop off at a store. | Working appliances only. Dishwashers need a stainless steel interior. Nothing dirty, damaged, mouldy or rusted. Call first. |
| A Take It Back! retailer | Phone ahead before returning it. | Listed in the City's Waste Explorer, which marks the members that charge residents a fee. |
| Trail Waste Facility, 4475 Trail Road | You drive it there. | Free as source-separated scrap metal. Mixed with garbage, it is charged as garbage. Fridges, freezers, air conditioners and dehumidifiers need a technician's tag first. |
| A local metal recycler | Terms set by each yard. | The City's Waste Explorer names metal recyclers as the alternative to Trail Road for scrap metal. |
| Save on Energy's Energy Affordability Program | A free in-home assessment, for households that qualify on income. | Can replace eligible fridges, freezers, dehumidifiers and window air conditioners with efficient models at no cost. |
| A neighbour, on Giveaway Weekend or a giveaway platform | The person taking it collects. | Giveaway Weekend is October 3 and 4, 2026. Working appliances only. |
| A junk removal crew | We carry it out. | Every appliance, tagged or not. Priced before anything is lifted. |
Pick the route by its condition. If it works, the ReStore picks up large appliance donations for free within its service area, and a neighbour may take it on Giveaway Weekend. If it is dead, hand it back to the store delivering its replacement, drive it to Trail Road as separated scrap metal, or have it hauled. The curb is not an option for any appliance.
No. Fridges are on the City's list of appliances it does not collect at the curb, along with freezers, stoves, air conditioners, dryers, dishwashers, hot water tanks, furnaces and oil tanks. A fridge also needs its refrigerant removed and a certified technician's tag before any landfill will accept it.
Yes, once it is tagged. With the refrigerant removed and the tag on, it goes in as scrap metal, which the City's 2026 rate card lists as free when it is separated from other material. Without the tag it is refused at the gate. The tag rule names fridges, freezers, air conditioners and dehumidifiers, so a stove or a washer does not need one.
No. That program asked customers to book by December 31, 2014. The current provincial offer is Save on Energy's Energy Affordability Program, which can replace an eligible fridge or freezer with an efficient one at no cost for households under its income limits.
Habitat for Humanity's ReStore, at 250 City Centre Avenue, 768 Belfast Road or 3 Iber Road in Stittsville. It accepts large and small appliances that work, takes dishwashers only with a stainless steel interior, and offers free pickup for large appliance donations within its service area. Call first, since it sometimes pauses a product line.
It can be. Trail Road charges nothing for source-separated scrap metal and the ReStore's pickup for working appliances is free. The City's Take It Back! list marks the retailers that charge residents a fee. What costs money is the lifting and the driving, when someone else does it.
No. We take fridges, freezers, air conditioners and dehumidifiers tagged or not. Tell us what is in the load when you book, and which floor it is on, because a full-size fridge on a staircase changes the crew plan.
Sources
- City of Ottawa, Special items: the appliances the curb does not take, and the technician's tag before a landfill read 2026-09-26
- City of Ottawa, Rates for the Trail Waste Facility Landfill, 2026: free scrap metal, garbage rates and the oil tank rule read 2026-09-26
- City of Ottawa, Waste Explorer: the Appliances, Refrigerators and Refrigerant entries, and Giveaway Weekend read 2026-09-26
- City of Ottawa, Bulky Waste: the free giveaway platforms read 2026-09-23
- Habitat for Humanity Greater Ottawa, ReStore: free pickup for appliance donations, stores and tax receipts read 2026-09-26
- Habitat for Humanity Greater Ottawa, what the ReStore accepts: working appliances and stainless dishwashers read 2026-09-26
- Save on Energy, For Your Home: the programs offered now read 2026-09-26
- Save on Energy, Energy Affordability Program: appliance replacement and the income limits read 2026-09-26
- Hydro Ottawa, Fridge and Freezer Pickup flyer, 2014: book by December 31, 2014 read 2026-09-26
Got an old appliance to move out?
Call or text for an up-front quote. Same-day and next-day service across Ottawa and Gatineau.