scrap metal · Ontario

Where to sell scrap metal in Kitchener–Waterloo

3 businesses in and around Kitchener–Waterloo that buy used scrap metal from the public — what each takes, and whether you are offered a purchase, a consignment or a loan.

Verified 2026-09-24 from each organization's own website. We are not affiliated with anyone listed here, nobody pays to be included, and we receive nothing if you sell to them.

A magnet does most of the sorting for you. If it sticks, you are almost certainly holding plain steel or cast iron, the cheapest thing the yard buys. If it does not stick, you are holding the copper, brass, aluminum or lead that actually pays. There is one exception worth knowing before you start throwing things on piles: ferritic stainless steel, grade 430, sticks firmly to a magnet and still grades well above mild steel. So magnetic does not always mean worthless — test a bright, rust-free piece twice. Sort the load in the driveway before you go anywhere, because the fridge at the bottom of it may cost you a fee instead of earning you anything.

How to tell what you have got

Before you call anyone, two minutes with the object settles most of it. None of this needs an expert — it needs a flashlight and a look at the back.

  • Copper pipe and copper wireScratch it. Copper shows reddish-brown under the tarnish and a magnet will not pull on it at all.
  • BrassYellow-gold, surprisingly heavy for its size, no magnet pull. Chrome-plated taps are still brass underneath but grade lower because of the plating.
  • AluminumLight for its bulk, dull grey, no magnet pull, and it does not rust — it blooms a chalky white powder instead.
  • LeadAbsurdly heavy for its size, dull grey, and soft enough to mark with a fingernail. Two common false positives: wheel weights sold in Canada for years now are steel or zinc rather than lead, and sash counterweights are often cast iron. Run the fingernail test and the weight-for-size test before you grade either as lead.
  • Stainless steelBright, and it does not rust. A magnet does not stick to annealed 304 at all, though cold-worked 304 — a drawn sink bowl, for instance — can go weakly magnetic. A magnet pulls firmly on the cheaper 430, which is the trap in the magnet test, because 430 still pays a premium over mild steel. The yard prices the two very differently, so ask which it is calling yours.
  • Insulated copper wire and cableJudge it by how much metal is in the jacket. Heavy cable with a thin jacket is the good stuff; a fat jacket over a hair-thin core is not.
  • Electric motors, transformers and sealed compressorsFar heavier than an object that size has any right to be.
  • Catalytic convertersYards treat a loose converter as stolen until shown otherwise. Bring the ownership or the scrapped vehicle's paperwork.
  • Lead-acid batteriesCarry them upright and never open, tip or drain one.

Rarely worth anything

Not a rule, and not a reason to bin something without asking. These are the things people most often expect to be worth money and find are not.

  • Plain steel and cast iron in household quantities
  • Galvanized ducting, roofing and eavestrough
  • Cast iron radiators and claw-foot tubs
  • Metal still attached to non-metal
  • Food and drink cans
  • Thin painted or badly rusted sheet steel
In Ontario, a fridge, freezer, air conditioner or heat pump cannot be scrapped until a certified person has recovered the refrigerant and affixed a notice to the unit Ontario

Under O. Reg. 463/10 (Ozone Depleting Substances and Other Halocarbons), made under the Environmental Protection Act, section 41(1) provides that a person shall not dismantle, destroy, recycle, incinerate or dispose of by landfilling refrigeration equipment, or a container that has contained a refrigerant, unless a notice has been affixed under section 32 and the disposal is carried out in a manner authorized under the Act. Only a person certified under section 34 may make that determination, and the notice must show the date, the certified person's name, their certificate number and its expiry, their employer, and a statement that the equipment no longer contains refrigerant. The definition in section 1 covers air-conditioning, heat pump, refrigeration and freezer units, including a motor-vehicle air conditioner, but only "where that unit is designed to contain, contains or has contained" a class 1 or class 2 ozone depleting substance or a halocarbon. That qualifier matters both ways. There is no household exemption, so an ordinary kitchen fridge or window air conditioner charged with a halocarbon refrigerant is covered, which is nearly every older unit. But a unit charged with a hydrocarbon refrigerant instead — R-600a isobutane or R-290 propane, now common in newer domestic fridges and freezers — contains no halocarbon and arguably falls outside the definition, so check the nameplate before assuming either way. A refrigerant dehumidifier is substantively a refrigeration unit but is not named in the definition. Section 41(2) carries an exemption for dismantling during manufacture, which will not help you. This is the reason yards refuse these units or charge a degassing fee. Text current to the consolidation of 30 August 2024, last amendment O. Reg. 336/24.

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The federal halocarbon regulations do not govern a privately owned household appliance unless it sits on federal or Aboriginal lands Canada (federal)

The Federal Halocarbon Regulations, 2022 (SOR/2022-110) are frequently quoted in disposal advice as though they bind every homeowner. Mostly they do not, but the scope has two limbs and the second one is easy to miss. Section 2(1) applies the Regulations to systems owned by the Crown in right of Canada, a board or agency of the Government of Canada, a Crown corporation or a federal work or undertaking — and, separately, to systems located on aboriginal lands or federal lands, whoever owns them. So a privately owned domestic refrigerator or window air conditioner in an ordinary house falls outside the Regulations, while the identical fridge on a reserve or in federal housing falls inside them, because that second limb turns on location rather than ownership. For everyone else, the rule that actually governs scrapping your appliance is provincial, which is why it matters which province you are in.

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In Toronto, removing metal that someone has set out for collection is a prohibited act under the waste bylaw Toronto, Ontario

Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 844 (Waste Collection, Residential Properties), section 844-23.C provides that no person shall "pick over, interfere with, disturb, remove or scatter any waste set out for collection" unless authorized to do so by the General Manager. Section 844-8 treats metal goods as a special collection service with its own set-out requirements rather than as ordinary garbage. We read Toronto's chapter because Toronto is the largest market this page serves. We have not read the equivalent bylaw for any other city, and collection regimes differ enormously between municipalities, so look up your own rather than assuming this one travels. Chapter current to 11 February 2025, as amended by By-law 104-2025.

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3 places in Kitchener–Waterloo that take scrap metal

AIM Recycling Kitchener

Paid by weight Not stated — ask
BuysSteel and iron, Copper and brass, aluminum, Wire, Household metals, Batteries, Computer and electronic waste, Other metals
The dealA scrap yard that buys from the public — their page carries a "Sell to us" section and lists the grades above as accepted. No prices, payment method or payment terms are published on their Kitchener page.
Where34 Lancaster St W, Kitchener, ON N2H 5H8
Their Kitchener page has "conditionally accepted" and "not accepted" categories but does not spell out what is in them, so ring before loading the car — this matters most for fridges, freezers and air conditioners, which contain refrigerant and are handled differently from ordinary scrap. The page does not state prices, how payment is calculated, how you are paid, or whether identification is needed. Scrap prices move with the commodity market, so ask for the day's rate. Third-party sites quoting a per-pound copper or aluminum price for Kitchener are not this yard's prices.
Visit their site →519-743-0205

Kelso & Company Auctioneers (KelsoBid)

Consignment Not stated — ask
BuysEstate contents, Household goods from downsizing, Collections, Industrial surplus
The dealAn auction house rather than a shop. Their site invites you to "Sell one item or the whole collection here" and lists services for estates, downsizing and industrial surplus across Guelph, Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge. Goods are consigned and sold at auction, so you are paid after the sale and only if the lot sells — this is not money on the day.
WhereServes the tri-city area of Guelph, Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge. No street address is published on their site.
No commission rate, seller fee or settlement timeline of any kind is published on their site, and no street address is given. Ask for the complete fee schedule in writing — including anything charged for collection, photography, lotting or unsold lots — and for when you are paid after a sale, before committing a houseful of goods. Auction results are not guaranteed and a lot can sell for far less than retail, so also ask whether reserves are permitted.
Visit their site →519-837-7653

Logel's Auto Parts

Quote first May collect — ask
BuysScrap and junk cars, Non-running vehicles, Post-accident and write-off vehicles
The dealOutright purchase of the vehicle. Their site explains the quote is calculated by multiplying the vehicle's weight from the book by the current price of scrap metal. On payment their site says: if you drop the vehicle off, "you will get paid when it arrives"; if they collect it, "our driver will bring payment along with the bill of sale." Payment on drop-off is by cheque. They have a full-time tow truck driver on staff year-round.
Where116 Bridge St East, Kitchener, ON N2K 1J6
Pickup is not free: their site says "We can also come and pick up your car if it's not safe to drive, for an additional charge." The charge amount is not published, so confirm it before booking, as it comes out of what you receive. Payment on drop-off is by cheque rather than cash. Because the quote is vehicle weight times scrap price, a car with value in its parts or as a runner may be worth more sold another way. Their site does not address number plates, permit cancellation or insurance — ask them what they handle and what is left to you.
Visit their site →519-745-4751
We could not verify this city’s municipal rules for second-hand dealers and pawnbrokers from an official source, so we state none. Check with the City or the province before relying on anything you read about them elsewhere.

Not sure what you have got?

Photograph it and we will tell you what it is and what it is worth — including when the honest answer is that it is worth nothing.

See what it's worth Everything in Kitchener–Waterloo →

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