Home › By item › Scrap metal › Denver
A public resource guide
Free scrap metal removal in Denver, CO
Every free and paid way to get rid of scrap metal in Denver, verified October 2026.
Checked against Denver Solid Waste
Home › By item › Scrap metal › Denver
A public resource guide
Every free and paid way to get rid of scrap metal in Denver, verified October 2026.
Checked against Denver Solid Waste
9 weeks
between Large Item Pickups, on your regular collection weekday
5 + 10
large items plus extra bags per pickup, out by 6 a.m.
Free
separate appliance collection by appointment through 311 or 720-913-1311
Every route for scrap metal in Denver, checked in October 2026 against the city’s current rules and the drop-off sites named. The full Denver guide covers every other item.
Here is how each route works in Denver, starting with the city program and ending with paid pickup.
Denver Large Item Pickup: scrap metal
FreeMetal household items count as large items, or take them to a scrap yard any week.
Who qualifies: Homes served by Denver Solid Waste Management (the city trash service). Apartments, HOAs, and anyone with a private hauler are not eligible.
How to schedule: No appointment. Large Item Pickup comes about every 9 weeks on your regular collection weekday; the exact date shows as a Large Item Pickup entry in your address calendar at denvergov.org or the Denver Trash and Recycling app. Appliances are a separate free appointment program.
Limits: Up to 5 large items plus up to 10 extra trash bags per Large Item Pickup. A mattress and a box spring count as 2 items.
Set-out: Items at the curb by 6 a.m. on your Large Item date, visible, 2 feet from carts and obstacles. Mattresses and box springs must be fully bagged or wrapped. Furniture at the curb on any other day is illegal dumping in Denver and is 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 Denver: 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 Denver: you can start the conversation now through the For partners page.
Denver runs Large Item Pickup on an unusual 9-week rotating cycle, not monthly, not on-demand. Every household gets it automatically on their normal trash day with no appointment needed, capped at 5 large items plus 10 bags. The catch: if you need something gone faster than the next 9-week window, the city won’t help, and the exclusion list (electronics, Freon appliances, hazardous, construction debris) is long. This page walks through every legitimate option in order from free to paid.
The Denver rule for scrap metal: Metal household items count as large items, or take them to a scrap yard any week.
Program basics: Up to 5 large items plus up to 10 extra trash bags per Large Item Pickup. A mattress and a box spring count as 2 items. Items at the curb by 6 a.m. on your Large Item date, visible, 2 feet from carts and obstacles. Mattresses and box springs must be fully bagged or wrapped. Furniture at the curb on any other day is illegal dumping in Denver and is fined.
What the city will not take: Appliances (separate free appointment), electronics (banned from Colorado landfills), tires and auto parts, construction debris, hazardous waste, hot tubs, stumps, dirt and sod, unbundled branches, and loose trash.
How we checked this. The rules on this page were verified in October 2026 against: City and County of Denver: Appliance Collection (free, by appointment), City and County of Denver: Trash, Recycle, Compost schedules and Large Item Pickup, CBS Colorado: Denver moves Large Item Pickup to every nine weeks (January 2025). Programs change; confirm fees and limits before you go.
Hazardous and regulated components in Denver. Denver hosts free Household Hazardous Waste collection events for residents. Check denvergov.org for current dates and locations. 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. Putting hazardous waste in regular trash violates Colorado law and can result in fines.
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 need same-week service, exceed the 5-item limit, or need items the city won’t take (electronics, Freon appliances, construction debris), LoadUp offers professional removal in Denver 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 Denver with LoadUp → Round-up option appears at checkout. Optional, opt-in only.
Rules change at city limits. If you are outside Denver proper, start with the guide for your own city:
Related guides: the complete Denver 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 Denver: mattress, couch, refrigerator, washer and dryer, furniture, tv and electronics, dresser, bed frame and box spring.
Does Denver pick up scrap metal for free?
Yes, as large items, or at a scrap yard.
How much does paid scrap metal removal cost in Denver?
Through the LoadUp marketplace, a single scrap metal pickup in Denver starts around $80 to $100 with upfront pricing, and full-truck loads run $300 to $600 depending on volume. For households who need same-week service, exceed the 5-item limit, or need items the city won’t take (electronics, Freon appliances, construction debris), LoadUp offers professional removal in Denver 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 Denver page maintained?
Yes. Freemoval maintains this page as a public resource alongside the full Denver guide. We update it when programs change rules, fees, or contact methods. Last updated October 2026. If you find outdated information, let us know.