To develop a market for biochar, it is imperative that solutions are found to producing biochars that are both high performance and economically viable. While biochar performance can be enhanced via chemical modification, it is likely that optimization of pyrolysis time and temperature is a more cost-effective approach to enhancing performance. This was explored via the transformation of urban garden waste into biochar using a range of preparation conditions (heating temperature, residence time, and heating rate). Biochar yield and Cd2+ adsorption performance were optimized using response surface methodology. The "best compromise" yield and Cd2+ adsorption performance (49.9% and 40.0 mg/g, respectively) of garden waste biochar were achieved using preparation conditions of 398 degrees C, 10 degrees C/min, and 30 min. In addition, the quantification of adsorption mechanisms suggested mineral precipitation, ion exchange, functional group complexation, and physical adsorption, accounted for 47.9%, 41.5%, 10.3%, and 0.3% of total adsorbed Cd2+ in biochar, respectively. Overall, transformation of garden waste into adsorbents might offer a new market for the utilization of urban garden waste, especially given the size of this waste stream and the challenges it presents to municipal administrations.