Home › By item › Scrap metal › Baton Rouge
A public resource guide
Every free and paid way to get rid of scrap metal in Baton Rouge, verified October 2026.
Checked against City-Parish Environmental Services
3
bulk items per week within 10 out-of-cart items, no appointment
4
car tires accepted at the curb as bulky recyclables
Free
North Landfill drop-off for parish residents with proof of residence
Every route for scrap metal in Baton Rouge, checked in October 2026 against the city’s current rules and the drop-off sites named. The full Baton Rouge guide covers every other item.
Here is how each route works in Baton Rouge, starting with the city program and ending with paid pickup.
Baton Rouge weekly out-of-cart collection: scrap metal
FreeScrap metal is accepted as bulky recyclables weekly, and the landfill and scrap yards take it.
Who qualifies: Residential service units in East Baton Rouge Parish with city-parish collection (Republic Services or Richard's Disposal depending on area).
How to schedule: No appointment. Out-of-cart waste is collected once a week on your out-of-cart day (look it up at brla.gov/mgs). Crews take up to 10 out-of-cart items per week, and no more than 3 of those can be bulk items. Anything extra waits for the next week or goes to the North Landfill, which is free for parish residents.
Limits: 10 out-of-cart items a week, 3 of them bulk. Up to 4 car tires. Bulk items should not be bagged.
Set-out: At the curb by 5 a.m. on your out-of-cart day, separate from yard waste and away from the carts.
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 Baton Rouge: 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 Baton Rouge: you can start the conversation now through the For partners page.
Baton Rouge runs one of the more comprehensive municipal waste programs in the South: twice-weekly garbage collection plus a once-weekly out-of-cart pickup that handles bulk items, bagged leaves, and yard waste, all covered under the monthly solid waste fee of approximately $35.23. The out-of-cart service is the bulk pickup equivalent for most residents, requiring no separate appointment or fee. 2026 change: Parish DPW workers will no longer voluntarily pick up large woody waste piles after the prior arrangement expired without coverage; significant tree debris now requires self-haul to the North Landfill or private hauler. The North Landfill (16001 Samuels Rd, Zachary) offers free self-haul for East Baton Rouge Parish residents with proof of residency.
The Baton Rouge rule for scrap metal: Scrap metal is accepted as bulky recyclables weekly, and the landfill and scrap yards take it.
Program basics: 10 out-of-cart items a week, 3 of them bulk. Up to 4 car tires. Bulk items should not be bagged. At the curb by 5 a.m. on your out-of-cart day, separate from yard waste and away from the carts.
What the city will not take: Construction, remodeling, and demolition debris, household hazardous waste, electronics, and commercial waste. Republic's hauler rules exclude appliances containing Freon from curbside pickup; the North Landfill takes them free.
How we checked this. The rules on this page were verified in October 2026 against: City of Baton Rouge / East Baton Rouge Parish: Garbage Collection (out-of-cart rules), City-Parish: Residential Curbside Services (bulky recyclables, tires), East Baton Rouge Parish North Landfill rules and waste acceptance (February 2026). Programs change; confirm fees and limits before you go.
Hazardous and regulated components in Baton Rouge. Hazardous household materials cannot go in any Baton Rouge curbside cart or out-of-cart pickup. EBR Parish runs bi-annual HHW events; auto parts stores and retailers handle routine items year-round.
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 Baton Rouge 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 Baton Rouge with LoadUp → Round-up option appears at checkout. Optional, opt-in only.
Rules change at city limits. If you are outside Baton Rouge proper, start with the guide for your own city:
Related guides: the complete Baton Rouge 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 Baton Rouge: mattress, couch, refrigerator, washer and dryer, furniture, tv and electronics, dresser, bed frame and box spring.
Does Baton Rouge pick up scrap metal for free?
Yes, on your out-of-cart day, or a scrap yard.
How much does paid scrap metal removal cost in Baton Rouge?
Through the LoadUp marketplace, a single scrap metal pickup in Baton Rouge 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 Baton Rouge 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 Baton Rouge page maintained?
Yes. Freemoval maintains this page as a public resource alongside the full Baton Rouge guide. We update it when programs change rules, fees, or contact methods. Last updated October 2026. If you find outdated information, let us know.