Effective January 1, 2026, Brantford’s curbside recycling service in the Daily Downtown Collection Area will be reduced to once a week on Tuesdays. Garbage and green bin collection will continue six days a week in that area.
The change applies to homes and small buildings along Bridge, Charlotte, Colborne, Dalhousie, Darling, George, King, Market, Queen, Water, Wellington and Warfe streets. Residents must place recycling bins at the curb by 7:00 a.m. on Tuesdays. Garbage and green bins will continue to be collected Monday through Saturday.
Properties zoned Commercial and Institutional on residential routes in the Daily Downtown Collection Area will no longer receive curbside blue box collection beginning January 1, 2026. Affected businesses, not-for-profit organizations and daycares can bring recyclables to the Mohawk Street Landfill (20 Morrison Road) free of charge, Monday to Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or arrange private collection services — a change that the City and local stakeholders say could increase costs and logistical burdens for some downtown operations.
Some residents who rely on more frequent downtown pickup may need to hold recyclables for up to a week before Tuesday collection. However, the City notes that multi-residential properties that currently receive curbside collection will not be affected by the transition. Concerns have been raised about storage space and potential fire-safety implications in older buildings if residents must store recyclables for longer periods.
This change is part of Brantford’s transition under Ontario’s producer responsibility model and the Circular Materials framework, which places operational and financial responsibility for blue-box recycling on product producers rather than on municipalities and taxpayers.
