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A public resource guide
Free scrap metal removal in St. Louis, MO
Every free and paid way to get rid of scrap metal in St. Louis, verified October 2026.
Checked against St. Louis Refuse Division
Home › By item › Scrap metal › St. Louis
A public resource guide
Every free and paid way to get rid of scrap metal in St. Louis, verified October 2026.
Checked against St. Louis Refuse Division
3
large items per household during your monthly bulk week, out by 6 a.m. Monday
BOAT-E
batteries, oil, appliances, tires, and electronics are recycled in the same week
1 load
pickup-truck load per visit at a city transfer station for residents
Every route for scrap metal in St. Louis, checked in October 2026 against the city’s current rules and the drop-off sites named. The full St. Louis guide covers every other item.
Here is how each route works in St. Louis, starting with the city program and ending with paid pickup.
St. Louis monthly bulk and BOAT-E pickup: scrap metal
FreeMetal items are bulk items, or go to a scrap yard.
Who qualifies: Properties served by the City of St. Louis Refuse Division (city limits only; St. Louis County has separate trash districts).
How to schedule: No appointment. Once a month, during your region's bulk week (find it at stlouis-mo.gov/my-pickup or 314-622-4800), set up to 3 large items out by 6 a.m. Monday. BOAT-E items (batteries, oil, appliances, tires, electronics) are recycled during the same bulk week. Crews have the whole week; report misses to the Citizens' Service Bureau on Friday.
Limits: Up to 3 large items per household per month. City residents can also bring one pickup-truck load to a city transfer station.
Set-out: Roll-cart homes: at the curb in front of the house. Alley-dumpster homes: in the alley directly behind the house, away from the dumpster, not blocking the alley. Never in or next to the trash container.
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 St. Louis: 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 St. Louis: you can start the conversation now through the For partners page.
St. Louis residents have a generous combination of free services: monthly bulk pickup organized by region, plus 12 free loads per year at the city’s two transfer stations. This page walks through every option in order from free to paid, with the specific rules that apply in St. Louis City.
The St. Louis rule for scrap metal: Metal items are bulk items, or go to a scrap yard.
Program basics: Up to 3 large items per household per month. City residents can also bring one pickup-truck load to a city transfer station. Roll-cart homes: at the curb in front of the house. Alley-dumpster homes: in the alley directly behind the house, away from the dumpster, not blocking the alley. Never in or next to the trash container.
What the city will not take: Railroad ties, construction and remodeling debris (transfer station), household hazardous waste, and regular trash mixed with bulk.
How we checked this. The rules on this page were verified in October 2026 against: City of St. Louis Refuse Division: Bulk and BOAT-E item pickup, City of St. Louis: Residential Collection overview. Programs change; confirm fees and limits before you go.
Hazardous and regulated components in St. Louis. St. Louis Refuse Division accepts automotive batteries and motor oil at Transfer Stations free for City residents. For other household hazardous waste (paint, chemicals, pesticides), check stlouis-mo.gov for periodic HHW collection events. 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 can’t wait for monthly bulk Monday or have construction debris not accepted by city services, LoadUp offers professional removal in St. Louis 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 St. Louis with LoadUp → Round-up option appears at checkout. Optional, opt-in only.
Rules change at city limits. If you are outside St. Louis proper, start with the guide for your own city:
Related guides: the complete St. Louis 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 St. Louis: mattress, couch, refrigerator, washer and dryer, furniture, tv and electronics, dresser, bed frame and box spring.
Does St. Louis pick up scrap metal for free?
Yes, during your bulk week, or a scrap yard.
How much does paid scrap metal removal cost in St. Louis?
Through the LoadUp marketplace, a single scrap metal pickup in St. Louis 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 bulk Monday or have construction debris not accepted by city services, LoadUp offers professional removal in St. Louis 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 St. Louis page maintained?
Yes. Freemoval maintains this page as a public resource alongside the full St. Louis guide. We update it when programs change rules, fees, or contact methods. Last updated October 2026. If you find outdated information, let us know.