Salem residents can drop most bulky junk at the town transfer station on Shannon Road, with a sticker on the windshield and one of three yearly bulky coupons for things like couches and mattresses. Renovation debris, hazardous waste and anything from a business can't go there. If that's more trips, coupons and lifting than you want, a crew can take it all in one visit. With Rocky's, single items start at $35.
Who can use the Salem transfer station
The Salem Transfer Station on Shannon Road is for Salem residents only. You need a transfer station sticker on the inside of your windshield, and the town says that rule is strictly enforced. Stickers come from the Town Clerk at Town Hall on Geremonty Drive, with a vehicle registration that shows a Salem address. They run October to September, and the town has free options for residents 65 and older and for 100% disabled veterans.
Businesses can't use it. Salem tells commercial customers to hire a private hauler.
Couches, mattresses and other bulky items
This is where most people get tripped up. Furniture, couches, mattresses, box springs, carpet, vinyl and siding all need a bulky coupon. Each household gets three bulky coupons a year with the permit, and the coupon number has to match your sticker. Extra vehicle permits don't come with more coupons.
Three coupons go fast in a move or a basement cleanout. A bedroom set, a mattress and a box spring can use up a year's worth in one trip.
Appliances, TVs and electronics
- Appliances: washers, dryers and other white goods go with the scrap metal. Refrigerator doors have to come off first.
- TVs and monitors: accepted, but every screen 4 inches or larger needs its own TV/monitor coupon from the collection window at Town Hall, one per device.
- Why not the trash? New Hampshire bans electronic devices from landfills and incinerators (RSA 149-M:27), so old TVs and computers shouldn't go in your trash barrel.
What the Salem transfer station won't take
- Construction and demolition debris. Not accepted at the town facility. Salem sells C&D coupons at Town Hall, limited each year, that residents use at a private transfer station in town.
- Concrete, bricks, asphalt, rocks and tires. Also on the town's not-accepted list.
- Hazardous waste. Oil-based paint, thinner, gasoline, antifreeze, motor oil and medical waste are out. Latex paint only goes if it's dried out. The town holds a Household Hazardous Waste Day for residents at the DPW garage; watch the town website for the date.
When a crew makes more sense
The transfer station is the cheapest route for a carload you can lift yourself. A crew is usually the better deal when:
- You'd burn more than one bulky coupon, or you've already used them
- It's renovation debris, which needs a separate coupon and a separate stop
- The item is in a basement, a third-floor condo or behind a narrow door
- You don't have a truck, or the sticker is on a different car
- It's from a business, which the town won't take at all
How Rocky's handles it in Salem
Rocky's Junk Removal is based in Salem, so most Salem jobs are picked up the same day or the next. Single items start at $35. Bigger jobs are priced by how much of the truck your items fill, with labor, loading, hauling and disposal included. No stickers, no coupons, and nothing to carry to the curb.
Text a photo to 603-500-5865 for a fast quote, or see our Salem junk removal page and how pricing works.
Sources
Town rules change, so check before you load up. From the Town of Salem: Transfer Station and Solid Waste, transfer station FAQ and C&D and TV/monitor coupons. State law: RSA 149-M:27. Checked November 4, 2026.
