Kelowna landfill set to reopen on Monday after fire

Members of the public will be able to dump their rubbish at the Glenmore Landfill in Kelowna again as of Monday, Aug. 28.

The site closed on Aug. 18 when the Clifton-McKinley Wildfire spread towards Kelowna. Parts of the Glenmore Landfill were burned but critical infrastructure was “mostly unaffected,” according to a release from the City of Kelowna issued today, Aug., 25.

All of the landfill’s structures are operational. The gas management system was the only infrastructure that suffered considerable damage.

“It could’ve been much worse,” Scott Hoekstra, landfill operations manager said in the release. “We’ve been able to bounce back quite quickly.

"Staff and contractors are making progress on the many necessary repairs. We’ve had staff on site 24 hours a day working with fire-response personnel since the evacuation and we’re ahead of where I thought we would be at this point.”

READ MORE: Toxic impact of Kelowna landfill fires being examined

There'll be some restrictions when the landfill first reopens – only household waste and compost can be disposed of. Drywall, concrete, clean wood, branches, yard waste and other waste categories will not be accepted until the site is fully operational.

Curbside garbage and recycling collection is still suspended in evacuation alert zones, the release says, adding that collection will resume as scheduled after the alerts are lifted. Collection of yard waste remains suspended across the Central Okanagan region.

“Residents are asked to store yard waste until it can safely be accepted at the landfill,” the release says.

Details of a waste-management response plan – which will outline disposal options for wildfire-related waste – will be announced soon through the Central Okanagan Emergency Operations.

“We’re still recovering from the fire so residents may notice landfill operations are slower than usual,” Hoekstra said. “We appreciate everyone’s patience and ask those who can put off their next trip to the landfill to consider doing so.”

There'll be some activity happening at the landfill this weekend.  Large, packer trucks traffic and roll-off bins of construction and demolition debris will be permitted on Saturday and Sunday.

“Many commercial haulers have waste stored at facilities and on trucks, and this time will allow them to clear out that backlog,” the release says.

The Glenmore Landfill also had to close due to fires on July 11, and then again July 19 of this year. 

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