Approvals secured for a new era of waste management in Ontario

Emerald has owned and operated its energy from waste recovery facility in Brampton, Ontario since 1992 — the longest-running major solid waste thermal treatment facility in Ontario. Over the past three decades, the facility has managed over 3 million tonnes of waste and undergone extensive engineering, approvals and technology upgrades. However, with the facility now over 30 years old, it was time for an upgrade. 
 
Ontario is facing a waste management crisis, with landfills expected to be full by 2036. Developing new landfills is costly and time-consuming, and current projects won't meet growing demand. The Greater Golden Horseshoe’s population is projected to increase by 45 percent by 2051, leading to higher volumes of residual waste that will require safe management and new infrastructure. Ontario’s energy supply is also under pressure with the retirement of the Pickering nuclear power station in 2025, which will reduce generating capacity by 3,100 MW amid increasing urbanization and electric transportation growth.

In response to these challenges, Emerald proposed to redevelop its existing facility to provide new waste management infrastructure within the Greater Toronto Area. The redevelopment will increase the processing capacity of the facility from 500 tonnes per day to up to 2,500 tonnes per day and the energy recovery from 10 MW to up to 100 MW with three new processing lines.

To address these challenges, GHD led the environmental screening process for the proposal, complying with Ontario Regulation 50/24, Part IV of the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act (EAA). We conducted technical studies and assessments to evaluate the environmental effects, develop mitigations measures and identify the net effects of the project on air quality, the natural environment, surface water, groundwater, noise, traffic, land use and socio-economic components. The human health risk assessment and the human health impact assessment were independently carried out by Intrinsik.
 
GHD, Emerald, Intrinsik and Dillon Consulting formed a cohesive team to engage with the public, government review team (GRT) and Indigenous communities throughout the screening process. The team held regular meetings and public open houses and provided consistent updates on project milestones to comply with provincial regulations and enable smooth decision-making. Open communication was crucial to the project’s success.

GHD and Intrinsik addressed several comments from the GRT and over 400 elevation requests from the public and NGO’s, responding thoroughly to each comment and question.

The environmental screening process was successfully completed with the Minister’s Approval in April 2025. The redevelopment project will be executed in three phases. Phase 1 involves keeping the existing facility operational while the first processing line is constructed. Phases 2 and 3 will be installed and commissioned based on market demand, after which the existing facility will be decommissioned.
 
This redevelopment project will provide Emerald’s existing and future customers with access to enhanced energy recovery capacity within the Greater Toronto Area. The redeveloped facility will feature modern thermal treatment technology capable of recovering energy in various forms including heat (steam and district heating), electricity and hydrogen.

By increasing the processing and energy recovery capacity of the facility, Emerald is playing a key role in addressing Ontario’s waste management crisis and energy supply challenges. The project will help manage the growing volumes of residual waste safely while providing a sustainable energy source for the local community for decades to come.