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BraeBen Golf Course., Credit: City of Missisauga
I was shocked to learn that BraeBen Golf Course is built on a closed landfill — a fact I only discovered last summer while interning with Peel Region’s Waste Planning team.
At first glance, the bumpy hills and freshly cut grass seem typical of a golf course. But if you dig deeper (literally), you’ll find trash…and lots of it.
What’s that saying again? One’s trash is another’s treasure? Let’s keep that in mind as we briefly explore the history of BraeBen and how it came to be one of Mississauga’s coolest environmental innovations to date!
History
The Britannia Sanitary Landfill (now BraeBen Golf Course) first opened in 1980 and officially closed in 2002. In its 22 years of operation, the 200-acre landfill received over 10 million tonnes of waste. That’s equivalent to the total weight of almost 85 CN Towers!
While the landfill closed in 2002, the golf course was actually first established in 1999 and went by the name Britannia Hills. Check out this video on Britannia Hills — it’s a nostalgic look back at 1999 and a great window into how the golf course came to be.
However, like its hills, the golf course did have a bumpy start. The course required a few years of redevelopment, including the construction of improved landfill gas capture systems to limit ongoing odour complaints from nearby residential areas.
With this glam up also came a new name. Britannia Hills was no longer, and the new course, BraeBen, fully opened to the public in 2005.
Britannia Sanitary Landfill Site. City of Mississauga Instagram page
Waste to Electricity
In addition to the social benefit of enjoying some golfing on a Saturday afternoon with friends, there are a lot of clean energy perks that can come with building an 18-hole golf course on top of a closed landfill. Here are some cool facts to know:
- 250,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide have been eliminated (!!) by utilizing landfill gas for renewable energy. This is equivalent to about 53,000 gasoline-powered cars driven for one year. 250,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide have been eliminated (!!) by utilizing landfill gas for renewable energy. This is equivalent to about 53,000 gasoline-powered cars driven for one year.
- Under the golf course, 45 gas wells collect and send landfill gas, like carbon dioxide and methane, to an off-site electricity generation facility.
- Up to 5.5 MW, or 5,000,000 watts, of electricity can be generated at a time from the landfill gas captured.
Walker Industries Off-site Electricity Generation Plant. Credit: Walker Industries
One’s Trash Is Another’s Treasure!
See how we can transform landfills into green spaces that generate renewable energy? With many landfills expected to reach their capacity in Ontario by 2034, which is less than 8 years away, politicians and leaders will need to think of innovative ways to solve the capacity problem in the province.
At the same time, they will also have to ensure existing landfills are properly decommissioned and follow environmental standards to ensure the health and well-being of the communities that surround them. BraeBen Golf Course is one example right here in the Peel Region of how this can be done!
Share what you learned today with friends and family! Together, let’s re-imagine waste management in the province by continually learning and supporting projects like BraeBen.
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Sources
- Britannia Sanitary Landfill Site. Comcor. (2022, November 23). https://www.comcor.com/projects/britannia-sanitary-landfill-site/#:~:text=The%20Britannia%20Sanitary%20Landfill%20Site,for%20the%20generation%20of%20electricity
- Environmental Protection Agency. (2025, February 24). Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator. EPA. https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator#results
- Region of Peel Archives. (2023, March 9). “Britannia Hills Golf Course” now BraeBen Golf Course (undated, between 1999 and 2002). YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlxJkhp-rUc - Walker harnesses biogas from a closed landfill in region of Peel now home to a championship golf course. Walker Industries. (n.d.).
https://walkerind.com/case-studies/britannia-landfill-gas-to-energy-project-with-region-of-peel/ - W2RO 2025 State of Waste in Ontario: Landfill Report. W2RO. (01, December 2025). https://www.w2ro.org/articles/w2ro-2025-state-of-waste-in-ontario-landfill-report
