For decades, Clark Iron & Metal Co. has played a part in Murfreesboro’s industrial, business and environmental landscape, helping recycle everything from scrap steel and aluminum to copper wiring, appliances and discarded vehicles.
Located not far from the busy Church Street and Broad Street intersection, the longtime metal recycling company serves contractors, manufacturers, demolition crews, mechanics, farmers and everyday residents looking to responsibly dispose of metal materials while also earning a little money in the process. Rather than ending up in landfills, many of those materials are sorted, processed and shipped back into the manufacturing stream, where they can be reused in new products.
Even many of those passing nearby on the city’s streets on a regular basis may have no idea of the mountains of metals hidden from sight behind the Clark facility.
Loads of scrap metal are weighed before being added to the heap. Bring them your copper pipes and wiring, broken lawnmowers, aluminum cans, old metal outdoor furniture, steel, retired vehicles and other metal scrap and cash in your old junk and waste.
There’s also a small “for sale” yard where customers can browse for mower parts, engines, building materials, decorations, and odds and ends.
Clark Iron & Metal is part of the tradition of American scrapyards that help keep industry moving. Old farm equipment, damaged vehicles, construction debris, industrial leftovers and household appliances all become part of a cycle in which materials are reused and injected back into the industrial economy rather than being discarded.
For many customers, the appeal is practical—cleaning up property, garages or job sites while receiving payment for recyclable metals. For others, it is about environmental stewardship and keeping reusable metal materials out of dumps and waterways.
As Murfreesboro continues growing, the volume of construction, demolition and industrial activity throughout Rutherford County has also increased, making the recycling network increasingly important. Companies like Clark Iron & Metal help provide a local destination for those scrap metal materials.
Recycling cans at Clark Iron & Metal is simple.
Step 1 – Drink large amounts of your favorite refreshing canned beverage, or collect cans by the side of the road and from your friends and family.
Step 2 – Wash the cans a little bit. They don’t have to be pristine, but Clark Iron does not accept metal that is caked with mud.
Step 3 – Take the cans to the Clark Iron & Metal facility, located at 217 Hillard St., just off of Church Street near Cannonsburgh Village.
Step 4 – Look for the “Recycle Aluminum Cans Here” here sign on the right side of the main building.
Step 5 – If no other customers are using the bin, empty all of your cans into the holding area.
Step 6 – If an employee is not already assisting you, ring the bell for service.
Step 7 – Stand back and watch the cans get transported up the conveyor belt into the inside of the warehouse, where they will be weighed.
Step 8 – A Clark team member will hand you a receipt showing the weight of your cans.
Step 9 – Bring the receipt to Bubba at the main desk and accept your pay. Fun note: Clark seems to like keeping 50-cent pieces on hand and using them to pay out customers.
Step 10 – Reward yourself for your hard work. Go buy a 12-pack if you collected enough cans to afford it!
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As of May 2026, the current aluminum recycling payout rate was 85 cents per pound.
For more information, call 615-893-7281.
