As of last Sunday, burn permits within industrial and commercial parks are no longer being issued by Red Deer County Fire Services.
The change comes as a result of what the county describes as a “large number of complaints” stemming from the presence of smoke, potentially hazardous materials, and odours that come from burning within these parks.
“We have been seeing increased burning of waste materials in these areas, and that leads to complaints from neighbours, false 911 calls, and smoke migrating into urban areas,” said district fire chief Tom Metzger, in a media release. “In today’s age, there are appropriate means and facilities to dispose of waste properly, rather than burning. We have also found that many times, businesses are burning prohibited materials other than what their permits were approved for.”
To ensure safe disposal of waste, the county is requesting businesses to take their garbage to county-approved waste management facilities. Horn Hill Waste Transfer Station is one such facility. Information about it and other waste management facilities is available on the county’s website at www.rdcounty.ca.