On any substantial cleanout there is metal in the pile, and metal is the one category of debris that is worth money rather than costing it.
What is worth pulling
- Appliances — washers, dryers, ranges, water heaters
- Copper pipe and wire, which is the most valuable of the common items
- Aluminium — window frames, gutters, siding, screen frames
- Steel and iron — bed frames, structural offcuts, fencing, rebar
- Roofing metal
- Cast iron — pipe, tubs, radiators
Appliances with refrigerant
Practical sorting
- 1Set a metal pile aside from the start rather than picking through a mixed heap later.
- 2Separate copper and aluminium from steel — they are worth considerably more and mixed loads get priced down.
- 3Strip insulation from wire where the volume justifies the time; bare copper is worth more.
- 4Keep it dry and reasonably clean.
- 5Check what your local yard actually takes before hauling.
When it is not worth it
On a small single-room job with a couple of pieces of metal, the time and the trip cost more than the return. Being honest about that is part of giving useful advice.
On a whole-property clearance, a garage full of accumulated equipment, or any demolition involving pipe and wire, it genuinely is worth it — and it also reduces the weight going into the trailer, which on a weight-limited load matters twice.
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