Commercial traffic can now take demolition debris to the municipal landfill around the clock, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, as Fort McMurray and Wood Buffalo continue with the recovery process. The announcement was made last week after the council voted on June 28 to approve an amendment bylaw for noise so that the landfill could have continuous around the clock operation. Some neighbourhoods were completely destroyed by the fire, and others saw large areas of destruction. The amount of debris and rubble that must be removed before the community can move forward is enormous, and deadlines for hazard and debris removal given to property owners are also a consideration. According to a municipal release “The Municipality extended the hours with residents in mind, in an effort to help them meet the deadlines to remove debris and backfill their properties.”

The municipal landfill has greatly expanded the hours that the commercial haulers can bring in demolition debris, although other commercial traffic and residents can not access the landfill around the clock in the same way. During a council meeting on August 2 the question of why the landfill had not already started operating on a 24/7 basis was asked by area resident J. Paul McLeod. Kevin Scoble, the deputy chief administrative officer, explained at the time that the landfill was working on gathering the additional staff, equipment, and other resources necessary to start around the clock operations. Commercial haulers must have an active municipal landfill account and a business license that they have registered with the municipality. Landfill accounts can only be set up during the normal business hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.