Direct answer
Metal items fall into three different routes, not one. Genuinely valuable scrap - copper piping and wiring, brass fittings, and certain non-ferrous components - is worth separating out deliberately. General appliances such as washing machines, fridges and cookers need WEEE-compliant handling rather than a scrap route, even though parts of them are metal. Everything else mixed in with household items is usually simplest to send through a general clearance that sorts materials as part of the job. Whichever route applies, anyone collecting scrap metal as a business must hold a licence from their local council under the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013, must verify your name and address, and cannot legally pay you in cash. If you want a dedicated scrap collection booked and priced, that's handled on our scrap metal clearance service page - this guide is here to help you decide which route fits your job first.
Contents
What counts as scrap metal, and what doesn't
The material matters more than the object it came from.
"Scrap metal" is a narrower category than it sounds. Copper piping and wiring, brass fittings and taps, and certain non-ferrous components salvaged from old appliances or fixtures are the materials that are genuinely worth separating out on their own. Mixed ferrous scrap - old radiators, steel frames, box-section furniture - can still be collected as scrap, but it's valued very differently to copper or brass, and a collector will want to see it rather than take a rough description over the phone.
A lot of what looks like "metal" in a clearance is actually mixed-material waste: a steel bed frame with a fabric mattress attached, a cabinet with metal legs and a wood body, or an appliance where the valuable copper winding is sealed inside a plastic-and-steel casing. None of that is worth dismantling yourself purely to extract a small amount of scrap value, and most of it is more practical to send through a general house clearance or shed and garage clearance that sorts materials for responsible disposal as part of the job, rather than as a standalone scrap collection.
Reuse, dedicated collection or mixed clearance
Three different routes for metal, depending on what you're actually dealing with.
| Option or job scenario | What it includes | Main restriction | What to confirm before booking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metal reuse or private sale | Selling or giving away intact metal items (tools, fittings, offcuts) directly, outside a formal scrap collection. | Only sensible for items in genuinely reusable condition - not a route for mixed or damaged scrap. | Whether the item has any reuse value at all before assuming it needs scrapping or disposing of. |
| Dedicated scrap metal collection | A collector takes away genuinely valuable scrap - copper, brass, mixed ferrous metal - usually from a garage, workshop, shed or renovation site. | Only worthwhile where metal makes up most of the load; the collector must be a council-licensed scrap dealer. | Their council scrap metal licence, and that any payment is by bank transfer or cheque, never cash. |
| Appliances (white goods, electricals) | WEEE-compliant collection and processing for washing machines, fridges, cookers and similar - not a scrap route, even where metal components are inside. | Cannot legally be routed as general scrap; needs a carrier handling WEEE specifically. | That the collector is equipped for WEEE items, not just general scrap metal. |
| Mixed-load house or garage clearance | A general clearance that removes everything - metal, furniture, general waste - and sorts materials for recycling or disposal as part of the job. | Not priced as scrap - any scrap value in the load doesn't translate into a discount unless agreed with the carrier upfront. | Whether the carrier separates out metal for recycling, and whether that affects the quoted price either way. |
If metal is clearly most of what needs removing - a garage full of old pipework, a workshop being cleared out, scrap left over from a renovation - a dedicated scrap collection is usually the more direct route. Where metal items are just part of a wider clearance, it's generally simpler to let one house clearance or builders and renovation waste clearance carrier handle the whole job and sort materials as they go.
The law: council licensing, ID checks and the cash ban
This is a genuinely important legal point, not a houseclearance.co-specific policy.
Scrap metal collection in the UK is governed specifically by the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013, which sits alongside the general waste carrier rules that apply to clearance work more broadly. Three requirements from the Act are worth knowing before you let anyone collect scrap metal from you:
- Council licensing. Anyone carrying on business as a scrap metal dealer must hold a licence issued by their local council - this is a specific licensing regime for scrap dealers, separate from (and in addition to) the general waste carrier registration described on our waste carrier licence page. It's reasonable to ask to see a collector's scrap metal licence before they take anything away.
- ID and address verification. A licensed scrap dealer is required to verify the full name and address of anyone they collect metal from, and to keep a record of that verification. If a collector doesn't ask for any identification at all, that's worth treating as a warning sign rather than a convenience.
- No cash payments. Cash payments for scrap metal have been illegal in the UK since the Act came into force, specifically to make metal theft - stripped copper cabling, stolen manhole covers, war memorials and similar - far harder to profit from. A licensed dealer can only pay by non-transferable cheque or electronic bank transfer, with no exemptions.
For the official government position, see:
- GOV.UK: Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 - supplementary guidance
- legislation.gov.uk: Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013
On a clearance job where scrap metal is being removed alongside general items, the carrier taking the waste away also needs to be registered with the Environment Agency as a waste carrier - that's a separate requirement covered on our scrap metal clearance service page, and applies regardless of whether any of the load has scrap value.
Why appliances aren't a scrap route
Metal content doesn't decide how an item must be handled.
Washing machines, fridges, freezers, cookers and similar appliances contain real quantities of metal, but they're classified and regulated as electrical and electronic equipment, not as scrap. Rules under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) framework require these items to go through WEEE-compliant collection and processing - partly because fridges and freezers in particular contain refrigerants that need handling safely, not just metal that can be stripped out.
If you have appliances to get rid of alongside any scrap metal, treat them as a separate line in your job post rather than folding them into "scrap" - our white goods and appliance removal page and electronic waste and WEEE clearance page cover that route specifically.
What to confirm before booking
A short list worth checking regardless of which route applies.
- Whether the load is genuinely scrap-dominant, or whether a general clearance makes more sense for a mixed load.
- That a dedicated scrap collector can show a current council scrap metal licence.
- That any payment offered is by bank transfer or non-transferable cheque, never cash.
- That appliances are flagged separately and routed as WEEE, not bundled in as scrap.
- Whether the carrier needs to see the metal in person before giving a firm collection arrangement, which is normal given how much scrap value varies by type and condition.
Once you know which route fits, you can post the job with those details and compare quotes from licensed carriers directly, or go straight to the scrap metal clearance page if a dedicated scrap collection is clearly what you need.
Frequently asked questions
The questions that come up most often before arranging scrap metal collection.
Can I sell scrap metal for cash in London?
No. Cash payments for scrap metal have been illegal in the UK since the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 came into force, specifically to make metal theft harder to profit from. A licensed scrap dealer can only pay by non-transferable cheque or electronic bank transfer, and will need to verify your name and address before handing over any payment.
Do scrap metal collectors need a licence?
Yes. Under the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013, anyone carrying on business as a scrap metal dealer must hold a licence issued by their local council. It's reasonable to ask a collector for their licence details before letting them take anything away, in the same way you'd check a waste carrier's registration.
Can I put an old washing machine or fridge out for scrap collection?
Not as general scrap. Appliances like washing machines, fridges and cookers fall under WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) rules and need to go through WEEE-compliant handling rather than a standard scrap metal route, even though some components inside them are metal. See white goods and appliance removal for that route instead.
What counts as valuable scrap metal versus general waste?
Copper piping and wiring, brass fittings, and certain non-ferrous components salvaged from appliances or fixtures are generally the metals worth separating out deliberately. Mixed ferrous scrap such as old radiators or steel frames can still be worth collecting but is valued very differently to copper or brass. Painted, heavily contaminated or composite items are often not worth separating at all and are more practical to send through a general clearance instead.
Is scrap metal collection the same as a house clearance?
No - they're different services for different scenarios. A dedicated scrap collection makes sense when metal is most of what needs removing, such as clearing a garage, shed or workshop. Where metal items are mixed in with general furniture and household waste, a standard house clearance that sorts materials as part of the job is usually the simpler option.
How much is my scrap metal worth?
There's no fixed answer - scrap metal prices fluctuate with current commodity market rates and vary significantly by metal type and grade (copper and brass are valued very differently to mixed steel, for example). A licensed collector can give you a current rate once they've seen and assessed the actual metal.
Ready to arrange collection?
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