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A public resource guide

Free scrap metal removal in Dallas, TX

Car parts are excluded.

Illegally dumped junk pile with appliances and debris Checked against Dallas Sanitation

10 cu yd

monthly limit, with one 20-cubic-yard oversize collection a year by request

Thu to Sun

set-out window before your collection week

$60

per 5 cubic yards billed for oversize or non-compliant piles

Every route for scrap metal in Dallas, checked in October 2026 against the city’s current rules and the drop-off sites named. The full Dallas guide covers every other item.

Free scrap metal removal in Dallas

Here is how each route works in Dallas, starting with the city program and ending with paid pickup.

Dallas monthly brush and bulky item collection: scrap metal

Free

Metal household items are accepted bulky waste; car parts are not. Scrap yards take metal any week and often pay.

Who qualifies: Single-family homes and duplexes with City of Dallas sanitation service. Apartment communities use private haulers.

How to schedule: No appointment. Every address has a monthly collection week (the week of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th Monday). Set items out Thursday through Sunday before that week and crews collect them on their route. Once a year you can request an oversize collection of up to 20 cubic yards by calling 311 the week before.

Limits: 10 cubic yards per month, about a heaped pickup bed. Piles over the limit or containing prohibited items are usually collected anyway and billed to your water account at $60 per 5 cubic yards.

Set-out: At the curb in front of your home, from 7 a.m. Thursday through Sunday before your collection week, clear of poles, meters, mailboxes, and parked cars so the claw truck can reach it. Early set-outs are billed like oversize piles.

Read the full Dallas city services guide ›

Freemoval (free pickups through partner organizations)

Free

Freemoval 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 Dallas: 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 Dallas: you can start the conversation now through the For partners page.

For partners ›

How Dallas handles scrap metal

Dallas has one of the most generous monthly bulk allowances in the country: 10 cubic yards every month, plus a 20 cubic yard oversize option once per year. Combined with free landfill access for Dallas residents in personal vehicles, the system is genuinely robust if you stay within the rules. This page walks through every option in order from free to paid, including the strict $60-per-5-cubic-yards penalty for exceeding limits without scheduling oversize pickup first.

The Dallas rule for scrap metal: Metal household items are accepted bulky waste; car parts are not. Scrap yards take metal any week and often pay.

Program basics: 10 cubic yards per month, about a heaped pickup bed. Piles over the limit or containing prohibited items are usually collected anyway and billed to your water account at $60 per 5 cubic yards. At the curb in front of your home, from 7 a.m. Thursday through Sunday before your collection week, clear of poles, meters, mailboxes, and parked cars so the claw truck can reach it. Early set-outs are billed like oversize piles.

What the city will not take: Appliances with Freon or other refrigerant (refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, dehumidifiers), tires, electronics, glass, car parts, loose garbage, and construction, demolition, or remodeling debris, bricks, concrete, and dirt.

How we checked this. The rules on this page were verified in October 2026 against: City of Dallas Sanitation: Brush and Bulky Item collection (pilot page with current rules), City of Dallas Sanitation: Brush and Bulky Item calendar insert. Programs change; confirm fees and limits before you go.

Hazardous and regulated components in Dallas. Dallas operates the Home Chemical Collection Center at 11234 Plano Rd, accepting household hazardous waste (paint, chemicals, batteries, motor oil) free for Dallas residents. Open Tuesday through Saturday. Bring proof of Dallas residency. Several retailers also 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.

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.

Prep checklist before pickup day in Dallas

  • Run a magnet over everything and separate non-ferrous (no stick) pieces into a bucket.
  • Remove propane tanks, lead-acid batteries, and lithium packs; take each to its proper drop-off.
  • Drain fluids from mowers, water heaters, and engines.
  • Leave refrigerant lines intact on fridges, ACs, and dehumidifiers.
  • Stage at the curb edge and post as free scrap, or load sorted bins and bring ID to the yard.

Three mistakes that get scrap metal left at the curb:

  • Don't pay to dispose of metal. A scrapper will take it free and a yard will pay.
  • Don't put propane tanks, lead-acid batteries, or lithium batteries in a scrap pile. Tanks go to an exchange or HHW; batteries to an auto parts store or battery drop-off.
  • Don't cut refrigerant lines on fridges, ACs, or dehumidifiers to sell the compressor. Yards refuse cut units and venting is a federal violation.

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 $60

If 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 monthly pickup, have items the city won’t take (construction debris, certain appliances), or live in apartment buildings excluded from city pickup, LoadUp offers professional removal in Dallas 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 Dallas with LoadUp → Round-up option appears at checkout. Optional, opt-in only.

Scrap metal rules in nearby cities

Rules change at city limits. If you are outside Dallas proper, start with the guide for your own city:

Closest category in the Arlington table: Bi-weekly bulk if under 35 lbs and 2 cu yd. Otherwise special pickup or LoadUp.
Closest category in the Austin table: On-demand bulk pickup (metal pile). If working: donation pickup. Otherwise paid haul.
Closest category in the Corpus Christi table: Twice-annual brush/bulky pickup (separate from brush). Or J.C. Elliott Collection Center.
Closest category in the El Paso table: Fee-based curbside (doors must be removed, refrigerant removed) or retailer haul-away. CCS accepts appliances with…
Closest category in the Fort Worth table: Monthly bulk pile (free). Drop-Off Station alternative.
Closest category in the Garland table: Weekly brush/bulky pickup (separate from brush). Remove contents, tape doors shut.

Related guides: the complete Dallas 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 Dallas: mattress, couch, refrigerator, washer and dryer, furniture, tv and electronics, dresser, bed frame and box spring.

Common questions about scrap metal removal in Dallas

Does Dallas pick up scrap metal for free?

Yes, household metal on your collection week. Car parts are excluded.

How much does paid scrap metal removal cost in Dallas?

Through the LoadUp marketplace, a single scrap metal pickup in Dallas 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 monthly pickup, have items the city won’t take (construction debris, certain appliances), or live in apartment buildings excluded from city pickup, LoadUp offers professional removal in Dallas 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 Dallas page maintained?

Yes. Freemoval maintains this page as a public resource alongside the full Dallas guide. We update it when programs change rules, fees, or contact methods. Last updated October 2026. If you find outdated information, let us know.

Fund a free pickup in Dallas

Help cover someone else’s haul.

Most LoadUp customers fund Freemoval pickups by rounding up at checkout. If you’re not booking a paid pickup yourself but want to help, you can contribute directly, pooled with other donations to fund subsidized pickups in Dallas at standard market rates, the same rates LoadUp charges any paying customer.

Choose a custom amount→

Freemoval is a social impact program of LoadUp Technologies, LLC. Contributions are not tax-deductible. 100% of contributions fund pickups at standard market rates, the same rates LoadUp charges any paying customer. No separate fundraising overhead is deducted from donations.