Mesh, posts, and footings are three loads
A chain-link fence looks like one metal project until you pull a post and find a ball of concrete on the end. The mesh and the top rail may be scrap steel. The concrete footing is rubble, and many scrap yards will not take it. Call the yard and the disposal site before you fill the truck. Ask whether they want mesh rolled, whether posts must be free of concrete, and whether fittings such as tension bars and tie wires are acceptable. Cut or unbolt panels at home so you are not wrestling a half-standing fence in a parking lot. Wear gloves and eye protection. A released tension wire will whip. Do not leave posts standing with wire horns at eye level for the next person in the yard.
If the fence is coming out because nobody is sure where the boundary runs, Platbookmapper explains why a fence is not the lot line before you set new posts.
Roll the fabric so it stays a roll
Chain-link mesh will spring open the moment the ties are off. Roll it tightly and secure it with several wraps of wire or strap so the roll cannot expand in the bed. A loose roll is both a space problem and a cutting hazard. Keep the rails nested and strapped. Post caps, clamps, and gate hardware go in a bucket so they are not lost in the mesh. If a gate has a vinyl privacy slat, pull the slats out. They are plastic, not steel, and they contaminate a scrap load. Concrete footings should be broken off the posts only if you can do that safely and the disposal site has agreed to take the concrete. Leave rebar or wire in the concrete visible. Do not hide footings under the mesh.
Two destinations is a normal outcome
Plan on a scrap stop for clean steel and a disposal stop for concrete, or ask whether one transfer station takes both and in which bays. Say you have chain-link and concrete footings so the scale house can direct you. Unload the mesh where metal is assigned. Do not drop a roll off the tailgate into a pile of people. If the yard rejects posts with concrete still attached, take them to the rubble bay you already identified. Do not dump concrete in a field because the yard was closer. Sweep tie wires out of the bed. They puncture tires and shoes.
Before you go
- Call a scrap yard and ask whether rolled mesh and posts are accepted.
- Roll and bind the fabric, and keep concrete footings out of the metal load.
- Put hardware and any plastic slats in separate containers.
- Unload steel and concrete in the bays you were assigned.
Delivering posts with basketball-sized concrete footings to a scrap yard that only takes steel.
Questions people ask
Can the gate go with the mesh?
Yes, if it is the same steel family and the yard agrees. Remove plastic slats, wheels that the yard refuses, and any wood attached to the frame.
What if the posts are set in asphalt?
Tell the site you have posts with asphalt or concrete attached. That is a mixed chunk, not clean scrap, until the metal and the paving are separated.
Search Dumpmapper by ZIP code or city, then call the site before you load the truck. Hours and accepted materials change.