Home › By item › Scrap metal › Baltimore
A public resource guide
Free scrap metal removal in Baltimore, MD
Every free and paid way to get rid of scrap metal in Baltimore, verified October 2026.
Checked against Baltimore City DPW
Home › By item › Scrap metal › Baltimore
A public resource guide
Every free and paid way to get rid of scrap metal in Baltimore, verified October 2026.
Checked against Baltimore City DPW
3
bulk items per household per month, scheduled through 311
4 days
minimum notice before your district's bulk Saturday
7 a.m.
items out and marked 'bulk collection' on pickup Saturday
Every route for scrap metal in Baltimore, checked in October 2026 against the city’s current rules and the drop-off sites named. The full Baltimore guide covers every other item.
Here is how each route works in Baltimore, starting with the city program and ending with paid pickup.
Baltimore City scheduled Saturday bulk trash: scrap metal
Free, with a step firstMetal items count as bulk items by 311 request, and the drop-off centers take scrap metal free.
Who qualifies: Households with Baltimore City DPW trash collection. Baltimore County runs its own separate program; this page is for the city.
How to schedule: Call 311 (443-263-2220 from outside the city) or use 311 Online at least 4 working days before your district's scheduled bulk Saturday. Give your address, phone, and the 3 items. Large appliances (white goods) are scheduled the same way but tracked separately.
Limits: Up to 3 bulk items per household per month, collected on your district's monthly Saturday.
Set-out: Mark each item clearly 'bulk collection' and set it at your regular trash location by 7 a.m. on your pickup Saturday. Rear-collection homes leave items at the end of the yard with the gate unlocked.
Baltimore City Residential Drop-Off Centers: scrap metal
Free with IDScrap metal accepted.
Where: Five centers including Sisson Street (2840 Sisson St), Northwest, Eastern, Western, and Quarantine Road; hours at publicworks.baltimorecity.gov
How it works: Free for city residents with ID. Bulk items, electronics, scrap metal, tires, and recyclables. Household hazardous waste is accepted at Sisson Street on scheduled days.
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 Baltimore: 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 Baltimore: you can start the conversation now through the For partners page.
Baltimore residents have one of the more flexible disposal systems in the country: scheduled monthly bulk pickup, plus five free Residential Drop-Off Centers open Monday through Saturday. This page walks through every option in order from free to paid, with the specific rules that apply in Baltimore City.
The Baltimore rule for scrap metal: Metal items count as bulk items by 311 request, and the drop-off centers take scrap metal free.
Program basics: Up to 3 bulk items per household per month, collected on your district's monthly Saturday. Mark each item clearly 'bulk collection' and set it at your regular trash location by 7 a.m. on your pickup Saturday. Rear-collection homes leave items at the end of the yard with the gate unlocked.
What the city will not take: Building materials (sheetrock, siding, wood, roofing), auto parts, paint and stain, and flammable or hazardous waste. Electronics go to the city's Residential Drop-Off Centers.
How we checked this. The rules on this page were verified in October 2026 against: Baltimore City DPW: Bulk Trash Pickup and Large Item Removal. Programs change; confirm fees and limits before you go.
Hazardous and regulated components in Baltimore. Baltimore accepts household hazardous waste (paint, chemicals, pesticides, etc.) the first consecutive Friday and Saturday of each month, April through October, at the Sisson Street Drop-Off Center only (2840 Sisson Street). Several retailers offer ongoing free recycling: Home Depot for batteries and CFL bulbs, AutoZone for motor oil and car batteries, Best Buy for electronics, and most pharmacies for unused medications. Motor oil is also accepted year-round at all five Residential Drop-Off Centers.
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 who can’t wait for the next monthly bulk Saturday or need items the city won’t take, LoadUp offers professional removal in Baltimore with upfront pricing. Independent loaders in the marketplace handle pickup, loading, and licensed disposal.
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 Baltimore with LoadUp → Round-up option appears at checkout. Optional, opt-in only.
Rules change at city limits. If you are outside Baltimore proper, start with the guide for your own city:
Related guides: the complete Baltimore 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 Baltimore: mattress, couch, refrigerator, washer and dryer, furniture, tv and electronics, dresser, bed frame and box spring.
Does Baltimore pick up scrap metal for free?
Yes, by 311 request, or free at a Drop-Off Center.
How much does paid scrap metal removal cost in Baltimore?
Through the LoadUp marketplace, a single scrap metal pickup in Baltimore starts around $80 to $100 with upfront pricing, and full-truck loads run $300 to $600 depending on volume. For households who can’t wait for the next monthly bulk Saturday or need items the city won’t take, LoadUp offers professional removal in Baltimore with upfront pricing. Independent loaders in the marketplace handle pickup, loading, and licensed disposal.
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 Baltimore page maintained?
Yes. Freemoval maintains this page as a public resource alongside the full Baltimore guide. We update it when programs change rules, fees, or contact methods. Last updated October 2026. If you find outdated information, let us know.