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A public resource guide
Free scrap metal removal in Santa Ana, CA
Every free and paid way to get rid of scrap metal in Santa Ana, verified October 2026.
Checked against City of Santa Ana
Home › By item › Scrap metal › Santa Ana
A public resource guide
Every free and paid way to get rid of scrap metal in Santa Ana, verified October 2026.
Checked against City of Santa Ana
4 x 4
free pickups a year, up to 4 items each, through 657-467-6220
Yes
refrigerators, TVs, and computer monitors are on the accepted list
10 per unit
items per quarter for multifamily complexes of 3 or more units
Every route for scrap metal in Santa Ana, checked in October 2026 against the city’s current rules and the drop-off sites named. The full Santa Ana guide covers every other item.
Here is how each route works in Santa Ana, starting with the city program and ending with paid pickup.
Santa Ana free bulky item pickup (Republic Services): scrap metal
FreeMetal items count as bulky items, or go to a scrap yard.
Who qualifies: Santa Ana residents with curbside trash collection. Multifamily complexes of 3 or more units get a combined 10 items per unit per quarter, scheduled through the property manager.
How to schedule: Call Republic Services at 657-467-6220. Each household gets 4 free bulky pickups a year, up to 4 items each.
Limits: 4 pickups a year, 4 items each. Multifamily: 10 items per unit per quarter at the property's designated spot.
Set-out: At the curb on your scheduled date. Multifamily residents use the location their property manager designates.
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 Santa Ana: 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 Santa Ana: you can start the conversation now through the For partners page.
Santa Ana, California (#65 nationally) is the second-largest city in Orange County and is served by Republic Services under city franchise. Santa Ana’s bulky pickup is one of the more generous programs in OC: residents with curbside cart collection get 4 FREE bulky item pickups per year, with up to 4 items per pickup, OR up to 4 thirty-gallon bags of trash, OR up to 20 thirty-gallon bags of yard waste per pickup. Items collected within 5 working days of request. Multifamily complexes (3+ units) get 10 bulky items per unit per quarter. The Santa Ana Neighborhood Cleanup Program provides free 40-yard roll-off dumpsters for community cleanup events. Call Republic Services at (657) 467-6220 to schedule. This guide covers every disposal option for City of Santa Ana residents.
The Santa Ana rule for scrap metal: Metal items count as bulky items, or go to a scrap yard.
Program basics: 4 pickups a year, 4 items each. Multifamily: 10 items per unit per quarter at the property's designated spot. At the curb on your scheduled date. Multifamily residents use the location their property manager designates.
What the city will not take: Household hazardous waste (OC HHW Collection Centers) and construction debris.
How we checked this. The rules on this page were verified in October 2026 against: City of Santa Ana: Bulky item pickup is free and easy (Republic Services). Programs change; confirm fees and limits before you go.
Hazardous and regulated components in Santa Ana. HHW disposal in Santa Ana is handled through Orange County’s regional system. The closest free OC HHW facility is the Irvine Regional Center.
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 Santa Ana households needing in-home pickup, service faster than 5 working days, items beyond your 4 annual free bulky pickups, or large cleanouts, LoadUp connects you with independent loaders in Orange County 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 Santa Ana with LoadUp → Round-up option appears at checkout. Optional, opt-in only.
Rules change at city limits. If you are outside Santa Ana proper, start with the guide for your own city:
Related guides: the complete Santa Ana 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 Santa Ana: mattress, couch, refrigerator, washer and dryer, furniture, tv and electronics, dresser, bed frame and box spring.
Does Santa Ana pick up scrap metal for free?
Yes, with a Republic bulky pickup, or a scrap yard.
How much does paid scrap metal removal cost in Santa Ana?
Through the LoadUp marketplace, a single scrap metal pickup in Santa Ana starts around $80 to $100 with upfront pricing, and full-truck loads run $300 to $600 depending on volume. For Santa Ana households needing in-home pickup, service faster than 5 working days, items beyond your 4 annual free bulky pickups, or large cleanouts, LoadUp connects you with independent loaders in Orange County 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 Santa Ana page maintained?
Yes. Freemoval maintains this page as a public resource alongside the full Santa Ana guide. We update it when programs change rules, fees, or contact methods. Last updated October 2026. If you find outdated information, let us know.