How to Get Rid of Old Appliances in Indianapolis 2026

Getting rid of old appliances in Indianapolis comes down to 10 real options, ranked here from cheapest to most expensive. The city covers up to two heavy items a month for free. Big-box stores haul away with a new purchase for $25-$30. Indy Pickup 1111 collects almost any appliance for $11. Full-service junk haulers start at $99 and run past $400. Pick the option that matches your timeline, your budget, and what you actually have to get rid of.

Last updated: May 2026

There is no shortage of advice on this topic. There is plenty of bad advice. “Just put it on the curb” works exactly twice a year if you time it right, and “list it free on Marketplace” usually means waiting on three people who never show up. We have been picking up old appliances across Indianapolis since 2010, and the honest version of this guide ranks every option side by side, with the trade-offs that the other guides skip.

Use this to pick the right path for your situation. The 10 options below are ordered roughly from cheapest to priciest. The “right” one depends on how much you have to get rid of, how fast you need it gone, and whether it still works.

The Short Answer: Cheapest Ways to Get Rid of Old Appliances in Indianapolis

If you have ten seconds, here is the ranking:

1. City of Indianapolis Heavy Trash — free, but only 2 items a month and the day is fixed.
2. Big-box store haul-away (Lowe’s $25-$30, Home Depot ~$25, Best Buy ~$29.99) — only when you are buying new.
3. Charity pickup (Goodwill, Habitat ReStore, Salvation Army) — free, but the appliance must work and you may wait weeks.
4. Local scrappers on Nextdoor / Facebook Marketplace — “free,” but unreliable and no guarantee anyone shows up.
5. Indy Pickup 1111 — $11 Pickup — the cheapest reliable scheduled option in the metro.
6. Schott Services — mid-range local junk removal.
7. Fire Dawgs Junk Removal — $99 minimum charge and up.
8. 1-800-GOT-JUNK? — national franchise, $129-$400+.
9. Junk King — premium pricing, often $389+.
10. DIY haul to a scrap yard — free or even pays you, if you own a truck and a Saturday.

Below is the full breakdown of each option with what it actually costs, what it actually takes, and where it falls down.

How to Get Rid of Old Appliances in Indianapolis: All 10 Options Ranked

1. City of Indianapolis Heavy Trash Pickup (Free, with Big Limits)

Marion County collects heavy trash once a month next to your regular curbside trash. The day depends on your address. The city’s pickup day finder at indy.gov/activity/trash-pickup tells you when. You are capped at two heavy items per month, and items have to be at the curb on the right morning. Appliances containing freon (refrigerators, freezers, window AC units, dehumidifiers) often need the coolant evacuated first or the city service provider can refuse them and tag your cart. Electronics are not collected curbside at all — they have to go to a designated drop-off site.

Cost: Free. Wait: Up to a month. Best for: One or two non-freon appliances and patience. Why it fails for most people: The two-item cap, the schedule, and the freon issue. Plenty of households have one washer, one dryer, one fridge, and a stack of small appliances. The city covers two of those, and you wait a month.

2. Lowe’s Appliance Haul-Away (~$25-$30, With New Purchase)

When you buy a new appliance from Lowe’s, you can add haul-away at checkout to remove the old one of the same type. Pricing typically runs $25 to $30 per item; some MyLowe’s Pro Rewards members get it free with the purchase. Lowe’s will only take the matching old appliance and only on the day of delivery.

Cost: $25-$30 per item. Best for: People who are already buying a replacement from Lowe’s. Limitations: No new purchase, no haul-away. Same category only. They will not come back for a second item.

3. Home Depot Appliance Haul-Away (~$25, With New Purchase)

Same model as Lowe’s. Home Depot adds an old-appliance haul-away as an upsell when they deliver your new appliance, typically around $25. The crew will only take the comparable old item at the time of the new delivery.

Cost: ~$25 per item. Best for: Buying a replacement at Home Depot. Limitations: Tied to a new appliance purchase. Will not haul anything else.

4. Best Buy Haul-Away (~$29.99 With Purchase, More for Standalone)

Best Buy charges around $29.99 to take an old major appliance when delivering a new one. They also do paid recycling of TVs and some electronics without a new purchase — useful for TV-specific situations the other big-box stores will not touch.

Cost: ~$29.99 with new purchase. Higher without. Best for: TV and electronics replacement. Limitations: Standalone recycling without a purchase is limited and capped per visit.

5. Charity Pickup (Free, If It Works)

Goodwill of Central and Southern Indiana, Habitat for Humanity ReStore, and the Salvation Army all schedule free pickups of donated items. The catch is the condition standard. Appliances must be working, complete, and in saleable shape. Broken washers, leaking refrigerators, dead dryers — they will not accept those. Pickup windows often run two to four weeks out, and the crew can refuse the item on the spot if it does not pass their condition check.

Cost: Free. Wait: 2-4 weeks typical. Best for: Working, clean appliances you are replacing for cosmetic or upgrade reasons. Limitations: Anything broken, leaking, or missing parts is rejected.

6. Local Scrappers / Nextdoor / Facebook Marketplace (“Free” but Unreliable)

You can post “free curbside pickup” on Nextdoor, Facebook Marketplace, or Craigslist and get takers within a day. The catch is they are picking the metal for resale. Reliability is wildly inconsistent. No-shows are common. Some pickers cherry-pick (taking the dryer with the copper-heavy motor and leaving the dehumidifier). There is no insurance if they scratch your driveway or scuff your siding.

Cost: Free in theory. Best for: Patience, one high-value item, and a willingness to repost. Limitations: Ghosting, no-shows, inconsistent quality, no recourse.

7. Indy Pickup 1111 — $11 Pickup (Reliable, Scheduled, Cheap)

A flat $11 base fee per stop covers any standard metal item or appliance: washers, dryers, stoves, cooktops, water heaters, lawn mowers, scrap metal, electronics, and more — as long as it is outside or in the garage. Specialty items carry small published surcharges: refrigerators, freezers, and AC units (anything with freon) add $25; TVs are priced by size; mattresses and furniture have published add-ons. Service runs Mon-Fri 8am-5pm, Sun 9am-2pm, with same-day and next-day pickup in the core Indianapolis metro. There are 2,173 Google reviews at 4.9 stars behind it. For the complete breakdown, see how the $11 pickup actually works.

Cost: $11 base + small surcharges for freon, TVs, furniture, mattresses, or inside removal. Wait: Often same-day or next-day in core area. Best for: Anyone who wants the runaround to end. One stop, one fee, one truck. Limitations: We are a metal and appliance recycler. We do not haul general household trash. For that, you want a full-service junk hauler (options 8-10).

Skip the runaround. Indy Pickup 1111 picks up almost any appliance for a flat $11. Same-day and next-day across the Indianapolis metro. Call or text (317) 350-1111 or book online. Book Your $11 Pickup →

8. Schott Services (Mid-Range Local)

Indianapolis-based junk removal company that handles single-item pickups and full-load cleanouts. Single-item pricing typically runs in the $100-$200+ range for appliances. Better than the national franchises if you want a local team but expect a real bill.

Cost: $100-$200+ typical for a single appliance. Best for: Mid-size loads, supporting a local company. Limitations: Higher per-item cost than IPU; minimums apply.

9. Fire Dawgs Junk Removal ($99 Minimum + Up)

Fire Dawgs Junk Removal is the most-visible local junk hauler in Indianapolis search results. Their minimum charge is $99 for a “minimum load” (roughly the size of one refrigerator). Larger loads scale up from there. Tires, projection TVs, and a handful of other items carry published surcharges. Free in-person estimates. Award-winning customer service is real, but the minimum applies even if you only have one appliance.

Cost: $99 minimum, scales by load size. Best for: Full truck or multi-item cleanouts where you want a professional hauler. Limitations: Pricey for a single appliance compared to a $11 pickup.

10. 1-800-GOT-JUNK? ($129-$400+)

National franchise. Higher price band than local options. Two-person crew arrives in a branded truck and quotes onsite. Convenient and recognizable, especially for households unfamiliar with local services. Typical single-item pickups run $129 and up; full-truck loads can hit $400-$600.

Cost: $129-$400+ depending on volume. Best for: Convenience-first customers and national-brand familiarity. Limitations: Premium pricing for routine items.

Bonus: Junk King — $389+

Junk King operates in Indianapolis with similar pricing to 1-800-GOT-JUNK but often skews higher, with reported single-load pricing starting around $389.

Cost: $389+. Best for: Full-truck loads, customers who want a national brand.

Bonus: DIY — Haul It to a Scrap Yard Yourself

Zore’s Recycling on North Mickley Avenue or Farnsworth Metal Recycling on South Farnsworth Street will pay you scrap weight for old appliances if you bring them in. The math: a typical washer holds about 120-150 pounds of steel, which at scrap rates pays out roughly $5-$15. You need a truck, you do the lifting, and you wait in line at the scale. Honest accounting of what scrap metal is actually worth in 2026 explains why this is rarely worth a special trip for one appliance.

Cost: Free or slightly positive ($5-$15 per appliance). Best for: People with a truck, time, and a whole pile of metal already collected. Limitations: Time, fuel, and physical work eat the payout for a single item.

Master Comparison: Appliance Removal Costs in Indianapolis

Which Option Is Right for You? (Decision Guide)

Five common scenarios, plain-spoken answers.

“I just need this one old washer gone fast.” Indy Pickup 1111 — $11 base fee, often picked up the same or next day. Skip the city wait and the $99 minimum from the full-service haulers.

“I’m buying a new refrigerator next week.” Add haul-away at checkout from whoever you are buying from. Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Best Buy all charge $25-$30 for the take-away service when they deliver the new unit. It only takes the matching old appliance, so any extras go to a different option.

“I have a whole-house cleanout — appliances, furniture, garage stuff, the works.” Fire Dawgs or 1-800-GOT-JUNK. They are built for full-truck loads. Get a free onsite estimate before booking. Use IPU for the metal and appliance portion if you want to keep that part cheap.

“My old dryer still works — I just want it out of the basement.” Try a charity pickup first (Goodwill, Habitat ReStore, Salvation Army). Free, and the appliance gets a second life with a family that needs it. Just be ready for a 2-4 week wait and the possibility they refuse it if condition does not pass.

“I want it free and I do not mind hassle.” City heavy trash if it is not a freon appliance and you can wait for your monthly pickup day. Or post it free on Nextdoor and hope for the best. Both are real options. Both have real trade-offs.

The “Free Appliance Pickup” Myth

Search “free appliance pickup Indianapolis” and you will find a dozen sites promising the dream. Here is the honest version: every “free” option has a string attached.

• City pickup is genuinely free, but limited to two items a month, on a fixed day, and the freon appliances often get refused.
• Charity pickup is free, but only for working appliances, with a multi-week wait and a real chance of refusal at the door.
• Big-box haul-away is “free” only for some MyLowe’s Pro members; the rest of us pay $25-$30 per item and only when buying new.
• Nextdoor scrappers are free in theory and unreliable in practice.

So when none of those fit, the next-cheapest reliable option is $11. That is less than a pizza delivery. It is the closest thing to free that actually shows up, with a phone number that answers and a 4.9-star track record across 2,173 reviews backing it up.

We are upfront about the $11 because we would rather be honest about the small fee than make a promise we cannot keep. Fuel costs are real. Trucks need maintenance. Insurance, licensing, and a crew that actually arrives on time all cost money. The $11 covers the cost of showing up so the scrap value of the metal can carry the rest.

How $11 Appliance Pickup in Indianapolis Works

The whole process is built to be simple:

1. Check what you have. Most appliances and metal items are covered by the $11 base fee per stop. Refrigerators, freezers, and AC units add a $25 freon surcharge for safe coolant recovery (per EPA Section 608). TVs, mattresses, furniture, and inside-removal jobs have small published surcharges — see the full pickup items list.
2. Book and pay the $11. Call or text (317) 350-1111 or use the online form. The $11 Eco and Fuel Recovery Fee is collected at booking. Any specialty surcharges are confirmed in advance — no surprise quotes at the door.
3. Place the items outside or in the garage. Curb, driveway, or open garage. You do not need to be home. Contactless pickup is standard.
4. The crew loads and recycles it. Items go back to our recycling yard, where appliances are properly drained, freon is recovered, and metals are sorted for the steel mill or parts resale.

The core service area runs Greenwood to Carmel and Avon to New Palestine — the full Indianapolis metro. A small fuel surcharge applies for outlying towns like Anderson, Columbus, and Lebanon. Confirm your town on the service areas page. For commercial cleanouts and hauling, we quote upfront.

Old appliances stacking up? Indy Pickup 1111 has picked up tens of thousands of appliances across Indianapolis for $11. Call or text (317) 350-1111 or use the online form. Book Your $11 Pickup →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there free appliance pickup in Indianapolis?

The City of Indianapolis collects up to two heavy items per month curbside as part of regular trash service — that is free but limited and excludes freon appliances. Charities like Goodwill, Habitat ReStore, and Salvation Army will pick up working appliances for free, usually with a 2-4 week wait. For anything broken or non-freon, Indy Pickup 1111 charges a flat $11 — the cheapest reliable scheduled option.

What is the cheapest way to get rid of an old appliance in Indianapolis?

The cheapest reliable option is Indy Pickup 1111 at $11 per stop. Truly free options exist (city heavy trash and charity pickup) but come with constraints: city pickup caps you at two items a month and often refuses freon appliances, while charity pickup requires the appliance to still work. For one busted dryer that you want gone this week, the $11 service wins on cost-per-hassle.

Will the City of Indianapolis pick up my old refrigerator?

Marion County’s heavy trash program technically allows refrigerators, but service providers often refuse units with freon still in them. The EPA requires freon to be evacuated by a certified technician before disposal. Indy Pickup 1111 handles refrigerators for a flat $11 base fee plus a $25 freon surcharge, which covers the certified recovery process.

How much does appliance removal cost in Indianapolis?

Appliance removal in Indianapolis ranges from free (city heavy trash, charity, scrappers) to $400+ (national franchises like 1-800-GOT-JUNK and Junk King). Mid-range options include big-box store haul-away ($25-$30 with a new purchase), Indy Pickup 1111 ($11 per stop), Schott Services ($100-$200+), and Fire Dawgs ($99 minimum). The right price depends on volume, urgency, and whether you need a full-load hauler or a single-item pickup.

Can I get rid of a refrigerator for free in Indianapolis?

In limited cases, yes. The city’s heavy trash program will sometimes take a fridge if it counts as one of your two monthly heavy items and the freon has been evacuated. Charity pickup is free if the fridge still works. For a broken refrigerator that has freon, your cheapest real-world option is Indy Pickup 1111 at $11 base + $25 freon surcharge ($36 total), versus $99+ from full-service junk haulers.

Do Lowe’s and Home Depot haul away old appliances?

Yes, both Lowe’s and Home Depot offer haul-away when they deliver a new appliance you purchased from them. Pricing is typically $25-$30 per item. Lowe’s MyLowe’s Pro Rewards members can sometimes get haul-away included. The crew will only take the matching old appliance of the same category, and only on the day of the new delivery — no follow-up trips.

Can I sell my broken appliance for scrap metal?

Yes, scrap yards like Zore’s Recycling and Farnsworth Metal Recycling will pay you for old appliances by weight. A typical washer or dryer scraps for $5-$15 depending on the day’s steel market. The math rarely justifies the trip for a single appliance once you account for fuel, time, and needing a truck. Most people are better off with a $11 scheduled pickup that recycles the appliance the same way.

Does Indy Pickup 1111 take all appliances?

Yes — washers, dryers, stoves, water heaters, microwaves, dishwashers, freezers, refrigerators, AC units, dehumidifiers, lawn mowers, and almost anything with significant metal content. Standard items are $11 flat. Freon appliances add $25 for safe coolant recovery. TVs are priced by size. Mattresses and furniture have published surcharges. The full list is on the pickup items page, or call (317) 350-1111 with a photo and we will confirm before pickup.