Solid Waste Management Master Plan

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The City of Brantford is creating a Solid Waste Management Master Plan (SWMMP) for how we manage waste in our community from 2025 to 2050.

The SWMMP that will be informed by public input, will outline actions that Brantford residents and the municipality can take to divert more waste from the Mohawk Street Landfill. Our goal is to increase our waste diversion rate from 34% to at least 70%. This means finding significant ways to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in our landfill by using methods like avoiding waste, reusing items and participating in recycling and composting programs.

The SWMMP will be based on the vision, goals, and strategies outlined in Zero Waste Brantford: City of Brantford’s Vision for Solid Waste.

Why Waste Diversion Matters

Planning appropriately for the future of the Mohawk Street Landfill is crucial for our community's waste management. If we don't take action now, it will be full in approximately 40 years. While that may seem far away, the steps we take today can significantly extend its lifespan, ensuring it serves us well into the future. We are in a fortunate position to have our own landfill and by acting now, we can avoid costly expansions and environmental impacts, benefiting both current and future generations. Diverting waste also reduces pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, helping us create a healthier and more sustainable future.

Did You Know?

  • 51% of Brantford's garbage could be kept out of landfills by properly sorting waste into the Green Bin, Blue Box and other diversion programs. Collectively, we have a prime opportunity to cut down on waste and help our environment.
  • About 36% of what we throw away at home is food waste. By cutting down on how much food we waste and by participating in the City's Green Bin program, we can avoid the greenhouse gases that food waste can create when landfilled.
  • As part of a province-wide shift that transferred responsibility for the City’s Blue Box program from municipalities to product producers, on January 1, 2025, the program transitioned to Circular Materials, a national not-for-profit organization. No changes to the Blue Box program will occur in 2025.

Guiding Principles

The Guiding Principles from Zero Waste Brantford were developed through extensive community engagement. These guiding principles will lay the foundation for how we approach waste management in the SWMMP:

  • We value all public input to ensure our programs are accessible and effective.
  • We will work closely with neighbouring communities, businesses, and industry to create a cohesive waste system.
  • We will integrate waste reduction into municipal planning and operations.
  • We will stay updated with new research and technologies to explore and implement innovative waste reduction approaches.

The City of Brantford’s Vision for Solid Waste aligns with the Zero Waste Hierarchy of Highest and Best Use, and aims to build a strong foundation to minimize our waste generation through: • Financial incentives

  • Enhanced education and outreach
  • Diversion through increased composting and recycling; and
  • Developing a circular economy

Achieving diversion targets beyond 70% as identified in this Vision is an ambitious endeavour that will only be possible with a shift in priorities and change in peoples’ behaviour. Once these shifts in behaviour are made, it will be possible to focus on a Zero Waste Vision.


The Zero Waste Hierarchy 7.0 showing an inverted triangle with the text from top to bottom: Rethinkin/redesign, reduce, reuse, recycle/compost, material recovery, residuals management and unacceptable


Learning from Others

The SWMMP will also draw on the lessons learned from other cities. Cities all over Canada have been developing and implementing innovative and creative programs that help them achieve over 70% waste diversion. We want to learn from these successes and apply similar strategies in Brantford.

How You Can Help

Waste diversion takes all of us! Here is how you can help:

  • Participate in our accessible waste diversion programs.
  • Share your thoughts through online surveys and community engagement events.
  • Register to Let's Talk Brantford to receive updates and visit this page regularly to learn more about additional opportunities to provide your input along the way.
  • Attend our open houses: the open houses will present the objectives, vision and goals of the SWMMP, share the actions and options that are included in the plan, and gather feedback on the options and answer questions. The open houses will be drop-in sessions with display boards to share information and comment forms to collect feedback. The open houses will take place in each ward and proceed as follows:
    • Ward 1: Thursday June 26, 2025, drop in between 5:30 PM and 8:30 PM, Lions Park Auditorium, 20 Edge St, Brantford
    • Ward 2: Wednesday June 18, 2025, drop in between 5:30 PM and 8:30 PM, TB Costain SC Johnson Community Centre, 16 Morrell St, Brantford
    • Ward 3: Tuesday June 17, 2025, drop in between 5:30 PM and 8:30 PM, Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre Tournament Room, 254 N Park St, Brantford
    • Ward 4: Thursday June 19, 2025, drop in between 5:30 PM and 8:30 PM, Woodman Community Centre, 491 Grey St, Brantford
    • Ward 5: Wednesday June 11, 2025, drop in between 5:30 PM and 8:30 PM, Doug Snooks Eagle Place Community Centre, 333 Erie Ave, Brantford

Together, we can make a meaningful difference in managing waste and creating a sustainable future for Brantford. Thank you for being part of this important initiative.

The City of Brantford is creating a Solid Waste Management Master Plan (SWMMP) for how we manage waste in our community from 2025 to 2050.

The SWMMP that will be informed by public input, will outline actions that Brantford residents and the municipality can take to divert more waste from the Mohawk Street Landfill. Our goal is to increase our waste diversion rate from 34% to at least 70%. This means finding significant ways to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in our landfill by using methods like avoiding waste, reusing items and participating in recycling and composting programs.

The SWMMP will be based on the vision, goals, and strategies outlined in Zero Waste Brantford: City of Brantford’s Vision for Solid Waste.

Why Waste Diversion Matters

Planning appropriately for the future of the Mohawk Street Landfill is crucial for our community's waste management. If we don't take action now, it will be full in approximately 40 years. While that may seem far away, the steps we take today can significantly extend its lifespan, ensuring it serves us well into the future. We are in a fortunate position to have our own landfill and by acting now, we can avoid costly expansions and environmental impacts, benefiting both current and future generations. Diverting waste also reduces pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, helping us create a healthier and more sustainable future.

Did You Know?

  • 51% of Brantford's garbage could be kept out of landfills by properly sorting waste into the Green Bin, Blue Box and other diversion programs. Collectively, we have a prime opportunity to cut down on waste and help our environment.
  • About 36% of what we throw away at home is food waste. By cutting down on how much food we waste and by participating in the City's Green Bin program, we can avoid the greenhouse gases that food waste can create when landfilled.
  • As part of a province-wide shift that transferred responsibility for the City’s Blue Box program from municipalities to product producers, on January 1, 2025, the program transitioned to Circular Materials, a national not-for-profit organization. No changes to the Blue Box program will occur in 2025.

Guiding Principles

The Guiding Principles from Zero Waste Brantford were developed through extensive community engagement. These guiding principles will lay the foundation for how we approach waste management in the SWMMP:

  • We value all public input to ensure our programs are accessible and effective.
  • We will work closely with neighbouring communities, businesses, and industry to create a cohesive waste system.
  • We will integrate waste reduction into municipal planning and operations.
  • We will stay updated with new research and technologies to explore and implement innovative waste reduction approaches.

The City of Brantford’s Vision for Solid Waste aligns with the Zero Waste Hierarchy of Highest and Best Use, and aims to build a strong foundation to minimize our waste generation through: • Financial incentives

  • Enhanced education and outreach
  • Diversion through increased composting and recycling; and
  • Developing a circular economy

Achieving diversion targets beyond 70% as identified in this Vision is an ambitious endeavour that will only be possible with a shift in priorities and change in peoples’ behaviour. Once these shifts in behaviour are made, it will be possible to focus on a Zero Waste Vision.


The Zero Waste Hierarchy 7.0 showing an inverted triangle with the text from top to bottom: Rethinkin/redesign, reduce, reuse, recycle/compost, material recovery, residuals management and unacceptable


Learning from Others

The SWMMP will also draw on the lessons learned from other cities. Cities all over Canada have been developing and implementing innovative and creative programs that help them achieve over 70% waste diversion. We want to learn from these successes and apply similar strategies in Brantford.

How You Can Help

Waste diversion takes all of us! Here is how you can help:

  • Participate in our accessible waste diversion programs.
  • Share your thoughts through online surveys and community engagement events.
  • Register to Let's Talk Brantford to receive updates and visit this page regularly to learn more about additional opportunities to provide your input along the way.
  • Attend our open houses: the open houses will present the objectives, vision and goals of the SWMMP, share the actions and options that are included in the plan, and gather feedback on the options and answer questions. The open houses will be drop-in sessions with display boards to share information and comment forms to collect feedback. The open houses will take place in each ward and proceed as follows:
    • Ward 1: Thursday June 26, 2025, drop in between 5:30 PM and 8:30 PM, Lions Park Auditorium, 20 Edge St, Brantford
    • Ward 2: Wednesday June 18, 2025, drop in between 5:30 PM and 8:30 PM, TB Costain SC Johnson Community Centre, 16 Morrell St, Brantford
    • Ward 3: Tuesday June 17, 2025, drop in between 5:30 PM and 8:30 PM, Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre Tournament Room, 254 N Park St, Brantford
    • Ward 4: Thursday June 19, 2025, drop in between 5:30 PM and 8:30 PM, Woodman Community Centre, 491 Grey St, Brantford
    • Ward 5: Wednesday June 11, 2025, drop in between 5:30 PM and 8:30 PM, Doug Snooks Eagle Place Community Centre, 333 Erie Ave, Brantford

Together, we can make a meaningful difference in managing waste and creating a sustainable future for Brantford. Thank you for being part of this important initiative.

Page last updated: 15 May 2025, 01:50 PM