Landfill is hub of activity in fire-ravaged Canadian city

In the aftermath of a May fire that swept through sections of Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, the regional landfill has become a center of disposal and recycling efforts related to the cleanup.

Included in those activities has been the recycling of more than 9,000 refrigerators destroyed or abandoned after the fire, according to an online report  by the Edmonton Journal.

While some of the refrigerators were fire damaged, others were turned in by residents returning after a two-week evacuation period who found coping with the rotting food inside to be a health hazard or too difficult.

The solution turned out to be taking the refrigerators either to the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo’s regional landfill, located about five miles from Fort McMurray, or to a nearby private recycling firm.

As of Friday morning, more than 9,000 refrigerators had been dropped off at the Wood Buffalo landfill for recycling, according to a Wood Buffalo solid waste official quoted by the Journal. The same spokesperson said she believes a similar number were taken to Sunset Recycles and Sales in Fort McMurray.

Tracey Boutilier of the Wood Buffalo municipal government also was quoted by the Journal as saying, “We can expect anywhere between three to five years of waste in six months’ [time].”

The Journal news item notes the refrigerators, in compliance with Alberta law, are being drained of Freon before being recycled or shredded.

Also arriving at the landfill are “smoke-damaged carpets, drapes, mattresses and blinds,” according to the Edmonton Journal.

Also arriving is other debris from burned structures and ash, which must first be tested for toxic substances before being accepted by the landfill.