Scrap Metal Removal Cost in Irvine, CA

Scrap Metal Removal in Irvine: where the city stops and a hauler starts

The free route in Irvine has hard edges, and they are the reason people end up paying: Four items per pickup and four pickups a year — sixteen items in total. Free. The sixteen items a year are part of the service the city contracted. One trash cart collected weekly, in 96, 64 or 32 gallon sizes.

Past those limits the city is not an option at all — not slower, not pricier, simply unavailable. That is the line a hauler exists for, and it is worth knowing exactly where it sits before you start carrying anything.

Collection in Irvine is run by City of Irvine Public Works — collection by WM. Below is what they will take, straight from their own rules — and where each route runs out.

Booked bulky pickup

Anything too big to fit inside the cart. Four items per pickup and four pickups a year — sixteen items in total. Free. The sixteen items a year are part of the service the city contracted. Book before your regular collection day: sign in to My WM, open "Do More Online" and choose "Bulk Pickup". WM Irvine also takes calls on 949-642-1191. Sixteen items goes a long way for a sofa or a fridge and nowhere near far enough for a full garage — that is the line where a hauler starts to make sense.

Checked against the operator’s own page on 2026-09-02. Source

Taking it yourself

The public drop-off is Olinda Alpha in Brea and Prima Deshecha in San Juan Capistrano. $15 for a car, minivan or SUV under 360 lb; $30 for a pickup or cargo van under 880 lb; add $15 for anything longer than six feet, such as furniture or a mattress. Above 880 lb it is $92.70 a ton, or $107.70 a ton once hard-to-handle items are in the load. These rates run 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027. Monday to Saturday, with hours varying by site. Closed on six major holidays. Proof the load came from Orange County — an Orange County driving licence, a current utility bill, or a contract showing the address. A car, minivan or SUV under 360 lb and a pickup or cargo van under 880 lb pay a flat rate; anything heavier is weighed at the booth. Charged by vehicle and weight rather than by the item. Frank R. Bowerman Landfill sits inside Irvine but accepts no public disposal at all — commercial haulers only, showing a business or contractor licence at the fee booth. Household hazardous waste is not landfill material either: paint, motor oil, cleaners and batteries go free to the Irvine Collection Center at 6411 Oak Canyon, Tuesday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., capped at 15 gallons or 125 pounds per vehicle per trip and closed in the rain.

Checked against the operator’s own page on 2026-09-02. Source

What the regular cart will not take

Carts go out by 6 a.m. with the wheels against the kerb and three feet clear of parked cars and mailboxes. Everything bagged and the lid shut — overflow can be charged for or left behind. Construction waste, auto parts, tyres, paint, motor oil, household cleaners, medical and electronic waste are not accepted in the cart, and under SB 1383 food scraps belong in the organics cart rather than the trash.

Checked against the operator’s own page on 2026-09-02. Source