Sunday, July 27, 2025
ADVT 
National

Taking Out The Trash: A Massive Amount Of Garbage After Fort McMurray's Wildfire

The Canadian Press, 11 Jul, 2016 11:33 AM
    FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. — Fred Thompson-Brown is man at the centre of a mind-bogglingly large and occasionally toxic clean-up. 
     
    As manager of Fort McMurray's landfill, he heads up a complex operation to contain all of the rubble left behind from the wildfire that destroyed parts of that northern Alberta city. Here are a few quick facts on Fort McMurray's massive cleanup:
     
    How big? Fort McMurray lost 2,400 homes and structures during a wildfire that swept through the oilsands city in May.
     
    How much waste? Previous urban wildfires in California and Slave Lake, Alta., suggest each home generates between 97 and 175 tonnes of ash, soil, concrete, metal and miscellaneous waste.
     
    How much landfill? Waste generated by the fire is expected to be at least equivalent to the landfill's entire 2015 intake of 250,000 tonnes. It could go as high as 440,000 tonnes.
     
     
    How many loads? Between 20,000 and 47,000 truckloads of waste are expected during the coming demolition phase. A truck will dump a load every 60 seconds.
     
    How dangerous? Equipment operators work in sealed cabs with air filters changed daily. Nobody gets on-site without a particulate filter mask.
     
    How smelly? A total of 11,437 fridges and freezers arrived in June, all of which had to be emptied of rotting food.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Crews Contain Burns Bog Fire, Reopen Highway Following Wildfire In Delta, B.C.

    Crews Contain Burns Bog Fire, Reopen Highway Following Wildfire In Delta, B.C.
    Delta's Emergency Operations Centre says traffic was moving again on Highway 17.

    Crews Contain Burns Bog Fire, Reopen Highway Following Wildfire In Delta, B.C.

    Democratic Institutions Minister Monsef Strikes Conciliatory Tone At Committee

    Democratic Institutions Minister Monsef Strikes Conciliatory Tone At Committee
    Electoral reform, to be successfully achieved, should be built on co-operation amongst political parties and have the broad-based support of Canadians

    Democratic Institutions Minister Monsef Strikes Conciliatory Tone At Committee

    Jason Kenney: Open, Accessible And Still Inscrutable After A Decade In Spotlight

    Jason Kenney: Open, Accessible And Still Inscrutable After A Decade In Spotlight
    OTTAWA — Whatever you think you know about Jason Kenney probably doesn't conform to reality.

    Jason Kenney: Open, Accessible And Still Inscrutable After A Decade In Spotlight

    1 In 10 Inmates In Ontario Die From Drug Overdose After Release

    1 In 10 Inmates In Ontario Die From Drug Overdose After Release
    TORONTO — A study has found that one in 10 drug overdose deaths in Ontario between 2006 and 2013 involved individuals who had been released from a provincial correctional facility up to a year earlier.

    1 In 10 Inmates In Ontario Die From Drug Overdose After Release

    Amid Talk Of Road Tolls, Federal Memo Says Poorer Commuters Rely Heavily On Cars

    Amid Talk Of Road Tolls, Federal Memo Says Poorer Commuters Rely Heavily On Cars
    The February briefing note was prepared weeks before the Trudeau government signalled its intention to engage institutional investors, such as pension funds, to help raise money for public infrastructure projects.

    Amid Talk Of Road Tolls, Federal Memo Says Poorer Commuters Rely Heavily On Cars

    One Killed In A Crash Between Dump Truck And Vehicle In Delta

    One Killed In A Crash Between Dump Truck And Vehicle In Delta
    Police say Ladner Trunk Rd. will be closed between 96th St. and 104th St. until further notice.

    One Killed In A Crash Between Dump Truck And Vehicle In Delta