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A public resource guide
Free scrap metal removal in Akron, OH
Every free and paid way to get rid of scrap metal in Akron, verified October 2026.
Checked against City of Akron
Home › By item › Scrap metal › Akron
A public resource guide
Every free and paid way to get rid of scrap metal in Akron, verified October 2026.
Checked against City of Akron
Weekly
large item pickup on your normal collection day, no call needed
4:30 p.m.
earliest set-out the evening before
3
Special Bulk Pickups a year (20 cubic yards) for big volumes, scheduled through 311
Every route for scrap metal in Akron, checked in October 2026 against the city’s current rules and the drop-off sites named. The full Akron guide covers every other item.
Here is how each route works in Akron, starting with the city program and ending with paid pickup.
Akron weekly large item pickup: scrap metal
FreeMetal household items are weekly large items, or go to a scrap yard.
Who qualifies: Akron residential sanitation customers with city carts.
How to schedule: No appointment. Put furniture, mattresses, appliances, and up to 4 tires a year next to your carts on your normal collection day. Only a large volume of bags and boxes needs a Special Bulk Pickup, scheduled through 311 (330-375-2311), with 3 allowed per calendar year up to 20 cubic yards each.
Limits: Weekly large items with no published count; 4 tires per year. Special Bulk Pickups: 3 a year, 20 cubic yards each.
Set-out: Next to your carts, 3 feet from carts and obstacles, no earlier than 4:30 p.m. the evening before your collection day; earlier set-outs can be fined.
Freemoval (free pickups through partner organizations)
FreeFreemoval funds free junk removal and cleanouts for households referred by trusted partner organizations, such as nonprofits, housing programs, and senior services. Families don’t apply directly. A partner submits the request and vouches for the need.
Status in Akron: Not yet available. Freemoval currently serves metro Atlanta and plans to expand nationwide.
How it works where it operates: One free pickup per household, covering scrap metal, furniture, appliances, and bulk household items within standard LoadUp marketplace service. Funded by LoadUp customer round-ups and direct contributions, spent at standard LoadUp rates.
If you run a nonprofit or housing program in Akron: you can start the conversation now through the For partners page.
Akron, Ohio runs two complementary free bulk waste pathways. Every week, large items including refrigerators and other appliances placed curbside next to trash and recycling carts are collected on your regular collection day with no appointment and no fee. The city takes appliances to a local salvage company for proper recycling. For volumes that exceed routine bulk, basement cleanouts, post-move debris, garage purges, Akron offers 3 Special Bulk Volume Pickups per household per year, scheduled in advance through 311. The system has a few quirks worth knowing: glass is not accepted in curbside recycling (purple drop-off bins handle that), and Summit County Reworks runs the HHW and electronics drop-off network for the broader county. The Recycle Right campaign with Keep Akron Beautiful has driven contamination from 39.3% in 2019 to 12.5%.
The Akron rule for scrap metal: Metal household items are weekly large items, or go to a scrap yard.
Program basics: Weekly large items with no published count; 4 tires per year. Special Bulk Pickups: 3 a year, 20 cubic yards each. Next to your carts, 3 feet from carts and obstacles, no earlier than 4:30 p.m. the evening before your collection day; earlier set-outs can be fined.
What the city will not take: Construction and demolition materials, roofing, plaster, dirt, sand, gravel, bricks, drywall, concrete, hazardous waste, paint, motor oil, auto parts, and chemicals.
How we checked this. The rules on this page were verified in October 2026 against: City of Akron Public Works: 2026 trash collection schedule and large item rules, City of Akron: Trash and bulk collection guidelines. Programs change; confirm fees and limits before you go.
Hazardous and regulated components in Akron. Hazardous household materials cannot go in any curbside cart, not trash, not recycling, not the large item collection. Akron and Summit County jointly run several disposal channels.
Why scrap metal are different from ordinary bulk. Most household scrap is mixed. An appliance is a steel shell around a copper motor and aluminum fins; a bike is a steel or aluminum frame with rubber and plastic. Yards accept mixed items at the steel rate, so sorting pays only if you have enough non-ferrous metal to make it worth the time. A magnet and ten minutes usually tells you.
Three mistakes that get scrap metal left at the curb:
Paid options barely exist for metal, except when the metal is attached to things that are not metal.
Mixed loads to a transfer station
$20 to $60If metal is mixed into a larger cleanout, transfer stations charge by weight for the whole load. Pull the metal out first and give it to a scrapper; it reduces the fee and keeps metal out of the landfill.
Most transfer stations have a free metal pile. Ask before you tip.
LoadUp paid scrap metal pickup
$80+For households not eligible for free programs, LoadUp connects you with independent loaders in the Akron area. Upfront pricing, same-week scheduling, and licensed disposal handled for you.
What’s included: Loading, hauling, and licensed disposal of your scrap metal. No prep needed beyond pointing out what goes.
Pricing: Starts around $80 for a single item; full-truck pickups range from $300 to $600 depending on volume.
If you can pay for a pickup, your booking helps fund free pickups for someone else. Every paid LoadUp customer can opt in to round up at checkout, and 100% of round-ups go directly to Freemoval’s subsidized jobs.
Book scrap metal pickup in Akron with LoadUp → Round-up option appears at checkout. Optional, opt-in only.
Rules change at city limits. If you are outside Akron proper, start with the guide for your own city:
Related guides: the complete Akron junk removal guide (every item type, city services, hazardous waste, and how to report dumping) and the national scrap metal disposal guide with rules for all 117 cities we cover.
Other free removal guides for Akron: mattress, couch, refrigerator, washer and dryer, furniture, tv and electronics, dresser, bed frame and box spring.
Does Akron pick up scrap metal for free?
Yes, weekly, or a scrap yard.
How much does paid scrap metal removal cost in Akron?
Through the LoadUp marketplace, a single scrap metal pickup in Akron starts around $80 to $100 with upfront pricing, and full-truck loads run $300 to $600 depending on volume. For households not eligible for free programs, LoadUp connects you with independent loaders in the Akron area. Upfront pricing, same-week scheduling, and licensed disposal handled for you.
Will someone pick up scrap metal for free?
Yes. Independent scrappers in every metro collect appliances, grills, frames, and other metal from the curb free, usually the same day you post it, because they sell it by weight. Many city bulk programs also collect metal.
How much does a scrap yard pay?
Steel pays a few cents per pound; a washer or water heater might bring a few dollars. Aluminum pays several times more, and copper and brass pay the most, often a few dollars per pound. Prices change weekly with commodity markets.
How do I tell what kind of metal I have?
Use a magnet. If it sticks, the metal is ferrous (steel or iron) and pays the base rate. If it does not, it is aluminum, copper, brass, or stainless and worth sorting out. Copper is reddish, brass is yellow, aluminum is light and silver, stainless is heavy and silver.
Can I scrap a refrigerator or air conditioner?
Yes, but the refrigerant must be recovered first by a certified technician or by the yard if it has recovery equipment. Do not cut the lines. Many yards accept sealed units and recover the gas themselves; call first.
Is this Akron page maintained?
Yes. Freemoval maintains this page as a public resource alongside the full Akron guide. We update it when programs change rules, fees, or contact methods. Last updated October 2026. If you find outdated information, let us know.