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A public resource guide
Every free and paid way to get rid of scrap metal in Boise, verified October 2026.
Checked against City of Boise Curb It
6
free large item pickups per customer per year through 208-345-1266
Freon handled
appliances are collected and the refrigerant removed after pickup
Free
Ada County Household Hazardous Waste facility for chemicals and electronics
Every route for scrap metal in Boise, checked in October 2026 against the city’s current rules and the drop-off sites named. The full Boise guide covers every other item.
Here is how each route works in Boise, starting with the city program and ending with paid pickup.
Boise Curb It large item pickup: scrap metal
FreeMetal items count as large items, or go to Recycle Boise or a scrap yard.
Who qualifies: Boise households with Curb It trash service through Republic Services.
How to schedule: Call Republic Services at 208-345-1266 to request a large item pickup. Each customer gets up to 6 large item pickups per year free. Items go at the curb or in the alley on the scheduled date.
Limits: 6 large item pickups per customer per year. Confirm counts of items per pickup with Republic when you call.
Set-out: At the curb or alley where your carts go, the night before or by 6 a.m. on the scheduled pickup day.
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 Boise: 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 Boise: you can start the conversation now through the For partners page.
Boise, Idaho runs one of the most comprehensive curbside waste programs in the Mountain West through the “Curb It” program, operated in partnership with Republic Services. Boise residents receive 6 free large item pickups per year in addition to weekly trash and compost service, plus a nationally recognized curbside composting program diverting over 30,000 tons annually. The Hefty EnergyBag orange bag program adds a unique pathway for hard-to-recycle plastics. This guide covers every disposal option for City of Boise residents.
The Boise rule for scrap metal: Metal items count as large items, or go to Recycle Boise or a scrap yard.
Program basics: 6 large item pickups per customer per year. Confirm counts of items per pickup with Republic when you call. At the curb or alley where your carts go, the night before or by 6 a.m. on the scheduled pickup day.
What the city will not take: Household hazardous waste (Ada County HHW facility), tires (Ada County Landfill), and construction debris.
How we checked this. The rules on this page were verified in October 2026 against: City of Boise Curb It: Trash (large item pickups), Republic Services: Boise facilities. Programs change; confirm fees and limits before you go.
Hazardous and regulated components in Boise. The City of Boise operates free HHW collection sites throughout the city, open one day per month. Check the current schedule at cityofboise.org/departments/public-works/curb-it/hhw.
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 Boise households who need same-day or in-home pickup, need more capacity than free options provide, or want full-service crew-based hauling, LoadUp connects you with independent loaders in the Boise area for upfront-priced pickup.
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 Boise with LoadUp → Round-up option appears at checkout. Optional, opt-in only.
Rules change at city limits. If you are outside Boise proper, start with the guide for your own city:
Related guides: the complete Boise 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 Boise: mattress, couch, refrigerator, washer and dryer, furniture, tv and electronics, dresser, bed frame and box spring.
Does Boise pick up scrap metal for free?
Yes, with a large item pickup, or a scrap yard.
How much does paid scrap metal removal cost in Boise?
Through the LoadUp marketplace, a single scrap metal pickup in Boise starts around $80 to $100 with upfront pricing, and full-truck loads run $300 to $600 depending on volume. For Boise households who need same-day or in-home pickup, need more capacity than free options provide, or want full-service crew-based hauling, LoadUp connects you with independent loaders in the Boise area for upfront-priced pickup.
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 Boise page maintained?
Yes. Freemoval maintains this page as a public resource alongside the full Boise guide. We update it when programs change rules, fees, or contact methods. Last updated October 2026. If you find outdated information, let us know.