Swap Shop

The Watertown Swap Shop is a free resource for our residents to share household items. As a volunteer-run sustainability initiative, we hope to encourage sharing and reuse, reduce consumption and waste, and connect neighbors across our community.

Please help our volunteers by observing these shopping and donation guidelines.

Hours and Location

The Watertown Swap Shop will be open 10:00AM to 2:00PM the First Saturday of every month unless otherwise noted (weather depending) from April through October. The hours of operation will be dependent upon the availability of volunteers to oversee the program. Closed during the winter months. The 2025 dates are:

  • June 7 (First day open, taking donations!)
  • July 12 (Second Saturday of July)
  • August 2
  • September 6
  • October 4

The Swap Shop is located at the Watertown Recycle Center, 76 Stanley Ave.

You must park on the street on Green River Way or Stanley Ave if you are shopping at the Swap Shop. If you have donations, you can pull your car into the Recycle Center up to the Swap Shop to unload.

Shopping Guidelines

  • All donated items are for personal use only, not for reselling.
  • Please take no more than 8 Items per day.
  • Volunteers will not help bring items from the Swap Shop to your car.

Donation Guidelines

  • All donated items must be fully functional and clean because we have no cleaning facility/service onsite. We will need to decline certain items when there is an overflow of similar items in stock.
  • The Volunteers working the Swap Shop have full discretion to accept or reject a donation. If you are told you cannot leave the item as a donation, you cannot leave it at the Recycle Center unless it fits into the existing disposal options there.
  • This is not a tax-deductible donation, and you will not receive a receipt for your donation.

Accepted Items

  • Kitchenware (dishes, utensils, pot & pans, bakeware, glassware, cooking & baking gadgets, mixers, food processors)
  • Home Decor (artwork, lamps)
  • Organization and Storage items
  • Games & Puzzles (complete, no missing pieces)
  • Durable Children's Outdoor Toys
  • Pet Supplies (cages, leashes, water bowls, carriers)
  • Books/CDs/Blu-rays/Video games/Vinyl (NO reference/textbooks, cassettes, or VCR tapes)
  • Working Stereos, DVD/Blu Ray players, CD players. (No TVs, small electronics, speakers, tablets/phones, anything with a rechargeable battery)
  • Office Supplies (in like-new condition only)
  • Arts and Crafts Supplies
  • Tools (hand tools and working corded power tools, no rechargeable batteries)

Thank you for your donation!

Unacceptable items

  • Items not listed above
  • Items in poor condition
  • Dirty items
  • Broken items

The Swap Shop is Partially funded by a grant from the MassDEP.