Scrap Metal Recycling Indianapolis: $11 Pickup Guide

Scrap metal recycling in Indianapolis works two ways: you haul your metal to a drop-off yard like Zore’s or Farnsworth and get paid by the pound, or you book a pickup and let someone collect it from your driveway. Indy Pickup 1111 handles the second option for a flat $11 base fee — any scrap metal or appliance, collected from your home, no trip and no waiting in line at a scale.

Last updated: May 2026

Most people overthink this. They picture loading a rusty water heater into the trunk of a sedan, driving across town, sitting in a line of pickup trucks, and walking away with $4. For a small pile of household metal, that math rarely works. For a truckload of clean copper, it does.

This guide covers both paths honestly. You will learn the difference between ferrous and non-ferrous metal, what your scrap is actually worth in 2026, when a drop-off yard is the smarter call, and when the $11 pickup saves you a Saturday. Indy Pickup 1111 has run thousands of these pickups across central Indiana, and the honest answer is: it depends on what you have.

Where Can You Recycle Scrap Metal in Indianapolis?

You have two real options in the Indianapolis metro: drop-off scrap yards that pay you by weight, and pickup services that come to you for a fee.

The drop-off yards are the names that show up first when you search “metal recycling near me.” Zore’s Recycling on North Mickley Avenue has operated since 1927. Farnsworth Metal Recycling runs two locations — South Farnsworth Street in Indianapolis and US Highway 40 in Clayton. Recycle Pros and OmniSource round out the list. All of them work the same way: you load your metal, you drive it to their scale, they weigh it, sort it, and hand you cash based on the going rate per pound.

That model works well if you have weight and value. A contractor with a bin of clean copper pipe should absolutely drive it to a yard. So should anyone with a few hundred pounds of sorted aluminum.

It works poorly for the rest of us. If what you have is one old dryer, a busted lawn mower, and a section of chain-link fence, you are looking at a half-day project for maybe ten dollars. You need a truck. You need to lift everything twice. You need to know which door at Farnsworth takes ferrous and which takes non-ferrous. And the yards keep short hours — most close by 4:30pm on weekdays and noon on Saturday.

That is the gap Indy Pickup 1111 fills. We are a pickup service, not a drop-off yard. You leave the metal outside or in the garage, we collect it for an $11 base fee, and it goes to a recycling operation either way. You skip the truck, the scale, and the line. For a full breakdown of how the pickup works, we have a step-by-step page. Most people pick the option that matches the size of their pile — big valuable loads to a yard, everyday household metal to a pickup.

Types of Scrap Metal: Ferrous vs Non-Ferrous

Every piece of scrap metal falls into one of two buckets, and the difference decides what it is worth. Ferrous metal contains iron. Non-ferrous metal does not. There is a five-second test: hold a magnet to it. If the magnet sticks, it is ferrous. If it does not, it is non-ferrous — and usually worth more.

Ferrous metal is steel, iron, and cast iron. It is the heavy, structural stuff. Most household scrap is ferrous: appliance shells, metal fencing, pipes, garage doors, lawn mowers, swing sets, car parts. By weight, ferrous metals are the largest category of metal in the waste stream, with appliances and furniture as the biggest sources (EPA, 2018 data). Ferrous scrap is valuable in volume but cheap per pound.

Non-ferrous metal is copper, aluminum, brass, stainless steel, and lead. It does not rust the way iron does, and it commands much higher prices. Copper wiring, aluminum siding, brass fittings, and stainless sinks all sell for real money per pound.

Here is how common household items sort out:

Indy Pickup 1111 picks up both kinds. The $11 base fee covers metal items that are mostly metal by weight: car parts, automobiles, motorcycles, lawn mowers, bikes, metal doors and garage doors, metal chairs and patio furniture, pipes, poles, fencing, wiring, sump pumps, motors, grills, and disassembled swing sets and trampolines. It also covers large appliances like washers, dryers, stoves, cooktops, and water heaters, plus small electronics and metal household goods. The rule is simple: if most of the item’s weight is metal, the $11 base fee covers it.

A few items carry a small surcharge on top of the $11 — refrigerators, freezers, and AC units contain freon and add $25, and TVs, mattresses, and furniture have published add-on fees. The full list of pickup items shows exactly what is $11 flat and what is not. Nothing is a surprise quote.

Not sure if your item counts as scrap metal? If a magnet sticks, or the item is mostly metal, the $11 base fee covers it. Call or text (317) 350-1111 with a photo and we will confirm before we come out. Get a Quick Answer →

What Is Your Scrap Metal Worth in 2026?

Scrap metal prices move every week with the commodity markets, so any number you read is a snapshot, not a promise. As of early 2026, copper is the standout: spot copper pushed toward record highs, and clean copper wire and tubing have been paying scrappers in the rough range of $3 to $4 per pound at yards (iScrap App, 2026). Brass follows behind copper. Aluminum is the everyday non-ferrous metal, paying in the cents-to-low-dollar range depending on grade.

Steel and iron — the metal in most appliances — sit at the bottom. Yards typically pay somewhere around $100 to $200 per ton for appliance-grade steel, which works out to only a few cents a pound. That single number explains the whole pickup-versus-drop-off decision.

Run the math on a real example. An old washing machine holds roughly 120 to 150 pounds of steel. At scrap steel rates, that is about $5 to $15 of metal value — and only if you haul it to a yard yourself, weigh in, and the yard is buying that day. After gas and an hour of your time, the payout is close to a wash.

That is not a knock on the yards. It is just how light, low-grade household metal works. The value is real, but it is small, and it lives in volume. The reason Indy Pickup 1111 can charge only $11 is the same reason your old dryer is barely worth hauling: the metal has commodity value, and when you collect enough of it, that value — not your wallet — pays for the operation. We are a recycling company first. You can read more about the family behind the business and why the model works.

For live pricing, the iScrap App tracks weekly rates by region. Use it before you load a truck. If your load is mostly clean copper, drive it to a yard and get paid. If it is appliances, fencing, and mixed steel, the metal value is too low to spend a Saturday chasing — which is exactly when an $11 pickup makes sense.

Drop-Off Yards vs. $11 Pickup: Which Is Better?

There is no single right answer here. It comes down to what you have and what your time is worth.

A drop-off yard pays you. A pickup service charges you. That sounds like an easy call until you price in the trip. Loading metal, driving to North Mickley or South Farnsworth Street, waiting at the scale, and driving home is usually a two-hour round trip minimum. Many people do not own a truck and would have to borrow or rent one. The yards also close early and have limited Saturday hours, so the trip eats a weekday afternoon or a weekend morning.

The honest verdict: if you have a contractor-sized load of clean copper or brass, take it to a yard and collect real money. If you have an old appliance, a pile of fencing, or a garage cleanout of mixed metal, the payout from a yard would be a handful of dollars and the trip would cost you half a day. Paying $11 to have it gone — without renting a truck or lifting it twice — is the rational choice. It is less than a pizza delivery.

What Scrap Yards Won’t Accept

Drop-off yards take metal, but they turn a lot of things away — and that catches people off guard after they have already loaded the truck. Farnsworth Metal Recycling, for example, does not accept e-waste like TVs, computers, printers, and phones, and refuses pressure-sealed containers such as fire extinguishers, propane tanks, and gas cylinders, plus aerosol cans, airbags, and radioactive material. Other yards keep similar restriction lists, and many limit electronics to specific drop-off events.

This matters because real cleanouts are messy. A garage purge is rarely just clean steel. It is an old tube TV, a dead microwave, a half-empty propane tank, three power tools, and a section of fence. Take that to a single scrap yard and you may get turned away at the gate for half of it — then you are hunting for a separate e-waste site and a separate hazardous-waste drop-off.

Indy Pickup 1111’s $11 base fee covers most of that mixed pile in one stop. Small electronics and metal household goods — computers, printers, stereos, speakers, game consoles, power tools, vacuums, and auto batteries — ride along on the $11 base fee. TVs are handled with a published, size-based surcharge instead of being refused outright. A few items still need careful routing: fire extinguishers and propane tanks are not standard metal scrap, and paint, chemicals, and hazmat carry a $25 surcharge for safe handling. The takeaway is simple. One $11 pickup usually clears a mixed pile that would otherwise cost you two or three separate trips to different facilities.

How Scrap Metal Recycling Works

Once metal leaves your house, the process is the same whether you dropped it off or had it picked up. Recyclers collect it, sort ferrous from non-ferrous, shred it, and melt it down into new raw material that goes back to manufacturers. Steel and most metals can be recycled over and over without losing quality, which is what makes the whole system work.

The scale is bigger than most people realize:

1. The United States consumed an estimated 63 million tons of ferrous scrap in 2024, up from 62 million tons the year before (USGS via Recycling Today, 2024).
2. Electric arc furnaces, which run largely on recycled scrap, now produce roughly 70% of all steel made in the U.S. (industry data, 2024).
3. The recycling rate for all materials in appliances, including ferrous metals, was 59.8% (EPA, 2018 data).
4. Even so, U.S. landfills still received 10.5 million tons of steel in a single year (EPA, 2018 data) — metal that had value and a second life waiting for it.

Recycling metal is not only an environmental story; it is an economic engine. The recycled materials industry generates roughly $184 billion in annual economic activity across the U.S. economy and supports more than 600,000 jobs (Recycled Materials Association, 2025). Robin Wiener, president of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (now the Recycled Materials Association), described the industry’s staying power this way: “The recycling industry has had its ups and downs over the last couple of years with the commodity markets, but this study shows its resiliency and a positive momentum for the future.”

Melting recycled steel also uses far less energy than making steel from raw iron ore, which is why steelmakers treat scrap as a core supply, not as trash (American Iron and Steel Institute, 2025).

The metal Indy Pickup 1111 collects feeds straight into this system. Pickups go back to the family’s auto salvage and recycling operation, The New Country Auto Parts on Stanley Avenue in Indianapolis, where appliances and metal are processed and the materials are recovered. Nothing useful gets landfilled. That is the eco-friendly part of the brand, and it is practical, not preachy — the recycling is what makes the $11 price possible in the first place.

Got a garage or barn full of metal? Indy Pickup 1111 handles cleanouts and hauling jobs across the Indianapolis metro, quoted upfront. Whatever the size, the metal gets recycled, not dumped. See Cleanout Services →

How $11 Scrap Metal Pickup Works in Indianapolis

The pickup itself is built to be simple. Here is the whole process:

1. Check what you have. Metal items and appliances are covered by the $11 base fee per stop. Specialty items — freon appliances like refrigerators and AC units, TVs, mattresses, furniture, and inside removal — carry small, published surcharges on top of the $11.
2. Book and pay the $11. Call or text (317) 350-1111, or fill out the online form at indypickup1111.com. The $11 Eco and Fuel Recovery Fee is collected upfront when you book. Any surcharges are confirmed before pickup — no surprise quotes at the door.
3. Place items outside or in the garage. Items should be outside or in the garage, not on the road or curb. You do not need to be home. Contactless pickup is standard.
4. We collect and recycle it. The crew arrives in the scheduled window, loads the metal, and hauls it to the recycling yard. During business hours, same-day and next-day service is typical in the core area.

The core service area runs Greenwood to Carmel and Avon to New Palestine, covering the full Indianapolis metro, with a nominal fuel surcharge for outlying towns like Greenfield, Anderson, and Columbus. Check the full service area map to confirm your town. Indy Pickup 1111 also handles commercial and industrial scrap metal for shops, contractors, and property managers.

At $11 per stop versus the $99 to $500 most junk removal companies charge, and backed by 2,173 Google reviews at 4.9 stars, the value is hard to argue with. For the complete cost breakdown, see our guide on why appliance and scrap metal pickup costs $11.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I recycle scrap metal in Indianapolis?

You can drop scrap metal at a recycling yard such as Zore’s Recycling on North Mickley Avenue or Farnsworth Metal Recycling on South Farnsworth Street, where you get paid by weight. Or you can have it picked up: Indy Pickup 1111 collects scrap metal and appliances from your home across the Indianapolis metro for a flat $11 base fee.

Does anyone pick up scrap metal for free?

Independent scrappers on Facebook Marketplace, Nextdoor, and Craigslist sometimes offer free pickup, but it is unreliable — no scheduled times, no insurance, frequent no-shows, and they often only want the valuable copper or aluminum. Indy Pickup 1111 is not free; it is $11. But that $11 buys a scheduled, insured, licensed crew that actually shows up.

What scrap metal is worth the most?

Copper is the most valuable common scrap metal, paying roughly $3 to $4 per pound for clean wire and pipe in 2026. Brass is next, followed by aluminum and stainless steel. Ferrous metals like appliance and sheet steel are worth the least — only a few cents per pound — which is why hauling a single old appliance to a yard rarely pays off.

How does $11 scrap metal pickup work?

You book online or by calling (317) 350-1111 and pay the $11 base fee upfront. You place your metal items or appliances outside or in the garage. A crew arrives in the scheduled window — often same-day or next-day — loads everything, and takes it to be recycled. You do not need to be home, and there are no surprise charges at the door.

Is it worth taking scrap metal to a yard myself?

It is worth it if you have a large, clean load of high-value metal like copper or brass, and you own a truck. For a single appliance or a mixed pile of household steel, the payout is usually only a few dollars after a two-hour round trip. In that case, an $11 pickup saves you the truck, the time, and the trip to the scale.

Can I recycle appliances as scrap metal?

Yes. Most appliances are mostly steel and are fully recyclable — washers, dryers, stoves, water heaters, and dishwashers. Refrigerators, freezers, and air conditioners contain freon and must be handled properly, which is why Indy Pickup 1111 adds a $25 surcharge on those to cover safe freon recovery on top of the $11 base fee.

Does Indy Pickup 1111 pick up commercial scrap metal?

Yes. Indy Pickup 1111 serves residential, commercial, and industrial customers. Contractors, shops, and property managers across the Indianapolis metro use the service for ongoing scrap metal removal and cleanouts. Commercial jobs and large hauls are quoted upfront. Visit the commercial page or call (317) 350-1111 to set up a pickup.

Skip the truck, the scale, and the line. Indy Pickup 1111 picks up scrap metal and appliances across Indianapolis for a flat $11. Call or text (317) 350-1111 or book online. Book Your $11 Pickup →