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A public resource guide
Free scrap metal removal in Durham, NC
Every free and paid way to get rid of scrap metal in Durham, verified October 2026.
Checked against City of Durham
Home › By item › Scrap metal › Durham
A public resource guide
Every free and paid way to get rid of scrap metal in Durham, verified October 2026.
Checked against City of Durham
3
bulky items per week, by request at durhamnc.gov/855 or 919-560-1200
6 a.m.
out at the curb on your scheduled day
Free
electronics, appliances, and up to 5 tires at the Waste Disposal and Recycling Center
Every route for scrap metal in Durham, checked in October 2026 against the city’s current rules and the drop-off sites named. The full Durham guide covers every other item.
Here is how each route works in Durham, starting with the city program and ending with paid pickup.
Durham bulky item collection by request: scrap metal
Free, with a step firstMetal items are bulky items by request, and the center takes scrap metal free.
Who qualifies: Single-family homes and city-served townhome communities with City of Durham garbage collection.
How to schedule: Bulky items are picked up by request only: schedule online at durhamnc.gov/855, through the Durham Rollout app, or by calling Durham One Call at 919-560-1200. Free for ordinary household bulky items, up to 3 per weekly collection, out with your garbage by 6 a.m.
Limits: 3 bulky items per weekly collection. No alley collection; the truck's mechanical arm needs clear access at the curb.
Set-out: At the curb by 6 a.m. on your scheduled day, 3 feet from carts and obstacles, on a street the trucks can navigate.
Durham Waste Disposal and Recycling Center: scrap metal
FreeScrap metal accepted.
Where: 2115 E. Club Blvd, Durham, NC 27704, 919-560-1200
How it works: Residents pay $5 per passenger car or $15 per van or SUV for a trash load. Free: electronics, white goods, scrap metal, cardboard, textiles, and up to 5 tires. Fluids must be drained from lawn equipment.
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 Durham: 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 Durham: you can start the conversation now through the For partners page.
Durham, North Carolina (#71 nationally) is part of the Research Triangle and operates one of the more efficient bulky item programs among comparable cities. One collection per week of up to 3 bulky items is free of charge, scheduled by request via Durham One Call at (919) 560-1200. Items beyond 3 incur charges. Yard waste customers get an additional 2 free bulky brush pickups per year. Yard waste switched to a biweekly Blue Week / Red Week schedule starting August 2025 (collected the same week as your biweekly recycling). Items containing Freon must have a certification tag from a licensed technician. The City operates a Waste Disposal and Recycling Center, Yard Waste Facility, and Household Hazardous Waste Center for residents. This guide covers every disposal option for City of Durham residents.
The Durham rule for scrap metal: Metal items are bulky items by request, and the center takes scrap metal free.
Program basics: 3 bulky items per weekly collection. No alley collection; the truck's mechanical arm needs clear access at the curb. At the curb by 6 a.m. on your scheduled day, 3 feet from carts and obstacles, on a street the trucks can navigate.
What the city will not take: Building materials, car parts, construction debris, dirt, electronics and TVs, glass and mirrors, loose leaves, propane tanks, tires, tree stumps, and wood or lumber. All of those go to the Waste Disposal and Recycling Center on East Club Boulevard.
How we checked this. The rules on this page were verified in October 2026 against: City of Durham Solid Waste Management: Bulky Services (by request only), City of Durham: Disposal and Drop-Off Facilities (Waste Disposal and Recycling Center fees), City of Durham: Bulky Item Curbside Collection FAQ. Programs change; confirm fees and limits before you go.
Hazardous and regulated components in Durham. Durham’s dedicated Household Hazardous Waste Center handles items that can’t go in any cart. Free for Durham residents.
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 Durham households needing in-home pickup, items the city won’t accept (construction debris, hazmat), or service when crew labor is needed (heavy items, multiple-piece sets), LoadUp connects you with independent loaders in the Triangle 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 Durham with LoadUp → Round-up option appears at checkout. Optional, opt-in only.
Rules change at city limits. If you are outside Durham proper, start with the guide for your own city:
Related guides: the complete Durham 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 Durham: mattress, couch, refrigerator, washer and dryer, furniture, tv and electronics, dresser, bed frame and box spring.
Does Durham pick up scrap metal for free?
Yes, after scheduling, or free at the center.
How much does paid scrap metal removal cost in Durham?
Through the LoadUp marketplace, a single scrap metal pickup in Durham starts around $80 to $100 with upfront pricing, and full-truck loads run $300 to $600 depending on volume. For Durham households needing in-home pickup, items the city won’t accept (construction debris, hazmat), or service when crew labor is needed (heavy items, multiple-piece sets), LoadUp connects you with independent loaders in the Triangle 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 Durham page maintained?
Yes. Freemoval maintains this page as a public resource alongside the full Durham guide. We update it when programs change rules, fees, or contact methods. Last updated October 2026. If you find outdated information, let us know.