Home › By item › Scrap metal › Nashville
A public resource guide
Free scrap metal removal in Nashville, TN
Every free and paid way to get rid of scrap metal in Nashville, verified October 2026.
Checked against Nashville Waste Services
Home › By item › Scrap metal › Nashville
A public resource guide
Every free and paid way to get rid of scrap metal in Nashville, verified October 2026.
Checked against Nashville Waste Services
0
regular curbside bulky pickups; Metro sends bulky items to the Convenience Centers
1 free
bulk item per Convenience Center visit, plus 3 bags of trash
615-880-3897
Davidson County Sheriff's Office limited curbside bulk removal
Every route for scrap metal in Nashville, checked in October 2026 against the city’s current rules and the drop-off sites named. The full Nashville guide covers every other item.
Here is how each route works in Nashville, starting with the city program and ending with paid pickup.
Nashville bulky item disposal: scrap metal
Free, with a step firstScrap metal is free at the Convenience Centers: one bulk item or up to three bags per visit.
Who qualifies: Metro Waste Services does not run curbside bulky pickup. Residents of Davidson County use the Convenience Centers, and the Davidson County Sheriff's Office offers a limited curbside bulk item removal by inmate crews at 615-880-3897 when available.
How to schedule: Take items to a Convenience Center: one bulk item plus 3 bags of trash per visit is free (mattresses, tires with rims, and construction debris excluded from the free item). Or call the Sheriff's Office at 615-880-3897 to ask about a curbside removal; items must be at the main street, not on apartment property, and never from an eviction.
Limits: One free bulk item per Convenience Center visit; fees for additional items. Four tires without rims per month free at East and Ezell. Electronics under 100 pounds free at East, Ezell, and Omohundro.
Set-out: Do not set bulky items at the curb for the regular trash route; items outside carts are not collected and can be reported as illegal dumping. Only put items out for a confirmed Sheriff's Office removal.
Nashville Convenience Centers: scrap metal
FreeAccepted as scrap metal, one bulk item or 3 bags per visit.
Where: East, Ezell Pike, Omohundro, and Anderson Lane; hours at nashville.gov
How it works: Davidson County residents in non-commercial vehicles. One bulk item plus 3 bags free per visit; scrap metal including refrigerators and washers free; electronics free at East, Ezell, and Omohundro; tires without rims free (4 a month) at East and Ezell, $5 each with rims. Mattresses and construction debris carry fees.
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 Nashville: 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 Nashville: you can start the conversation now through the For partners page.
Nashville’s waste collection changed materially on February 2, 2026, new routes and new holiday rules across Davidson County. Curbside bulk pickup is provided 4 times per year by request, with a 1 cubic yard limit. Combined with four free Convenience Centers (the right path for most bulk disposal), Nashville residents have several legitimate options. This page walks through every one.
The Nashville rule for scrap metal: Scrap metal is free at the Convenience Centers: one bulk item or up to three bags per visit.
Program basics: One free bulk item per Convenience Center visit; fees for additional items. Four tires without rims per month free at East and Ezell. Electronics under 100 pounds free at East, Ezell, and Omohundro. Do not set bulky items at the curb for the regular trash route; items outside carts are not collected and can be reported as illegal dumping. Only put items out for a confirmed Sheriff's Office removal.
What the city will not take: Everything from regular curbside trash: bulky items, yard waste, cardboard, and electronics are banned from the cart by Metro code.
How we checked this. The rules on this page were verified in October 2026 against: Nashville Department of Waste Services: Convenience Center Services and fees, Nashville Waste Services: Bulky Item Collection (accepted items), hubNashville: curbside bulk item pickup (Davidson County Sheriff's Office program). Programs change; confirm fees and limits before you go.
Hazardous and regulated components in Nashville. Nashville accepts household hazardous waste at Convenience Centers and through periodic HHW collection events. Check nashville.gov for current event dates. Latex or water-based paints and stains can be dried out (leave off the lid or use cat litter) and disposed of in regular trash. Several retailers 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.
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 or live in the General Services District / multi-family complexes (excluded from city bulk service), LoadUp offers professional removal in Nashville 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 Nashville with LoadUp → Round-up option appears at checkout. Optional, opt-in only.
Rules change at city limits. If you are outside Nashville proper, start with the guide for your own city:
Related guides: the complete Nashville 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 Nashville: mattress, couch, refrigerator, washer and dryer, furniture, tv and electronics, dresser, bed frame and box spring.
Does Nashville pick up scrap metal for free?
Free at a Convenience Center, one bulk item or 3 bags of scrap per visit.
How much does paid scrap metal removal cost in Nashville?
Through the LoadUp marketplace, a single scrap metal pickup in Nashville 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 or live in the General Services District / multi-family complexes (excluded from city bulk service), LoadUp offers professional removal in Nashville 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 Nashville page maintained?
Yes. Freemoval maintains this page as a public resource alongside the full Nashville guide. We update it when programs change rules, fees, or contact methods. Last updated October 2026. If you find outdated information, let us know.