These New Yorkers are fuming.
More than 100 residents from a pair of Queens and Brooklyn waterfront neighborhoods slammed a city-contracted asphalt recycling plant near their homes at a tense meeting Tuesday over its smelly, “burning rubber”-like emissions that they fear are making them sick.
The plant, which has operated in Long Island City, Queens, since 2011, was first cited by state officials in January 2024 for spewing fumes that “unreasonably interfered with the comfortable enjoyment of life or property” in violation of the New York State Air Pollution Control Law.
But the stench has only gotten worse in recent months, locals said.
“I can’t open the windows because I can taste the toxins, it’s like rubber burning in my mouth,” 59-year-old Long Island City resident Maria Davis told The Post.
“There’s a lot of people who have asthma that’s getting worse,” the 24-year local added.
“We can’t open our windows anymore: some nights it’s so strong it fills the room,” said Jesus Navarro, a Greenpoint, Brooklyn resident who says the stink wakes him up at night.
Other residents — mostly hailing from eastern Greenpoint and the industrial Blissville section of Long Island City — complained of frequent migraines and respiratory issues. To avoid the stench, some locals reported leaving their homes less frequently, noting they feel “trapped.”
“We’re all getting sick,” someone in the crowd hollered.
Greenpoint resident Sara Cervantes admitted she “won’t go outside, I won’t go to the park,” adding she’s even more fearful for the health of local kids.
Asphalt fumes can cause serious injury and permanent damage, including throat irritation, cough, fatigue and skin cancer, according to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
But Green Asphalt’s owner Michael Capasso defended the site during the town hall, denying the emissions are hazardous and even blamed social media frenzy — as a analysis purportedly found that 25% of smell complaints made to Assemblymember Emily Gallagher’s office were filed on a day that a negative post was made about the plant.
“Whatever you are feeling, you’re put at ease to know we’re not killing you,” Capasso said – minutes before the panel deferred a question about long-term health impacts to the Department of Health.
Another quarter of complaints were made during DOT paving of Nassau Avenue: “I don’t look at asphalt as a bad smell,” he added.
Green Asphalt signed a consent order with the state, which fined it $124,500 over several DEC violations including “causing or allowing emissions of air contaminants …. which are injurious to human, plant, or animal life or to property” and failure to submit annual air quality monitoring reports (which would flag contaminants like pungent sulfur dioxide) since 2019.
Regulators are also mandating the plant increase the height of its smokestacks from 45 feet to 90 feet by Dec. 11, when testing of contaminants at the site will be done – but residents say they can’t wait.
“Every time we go outside our eyes tear,” said longtime Blissville resident Thomas Mituzas, “we taste your plant and our lungs hurt.”
The resident told The Post in June that he moved his 95-year-old aunt from her local childhood home because he was afraid “she was going to die in the house” due to the fumes that seep indoors.
Councilman Lincoln Restler pointed out at the town hall that a Department of Buildings permit has yet to be filed for the stack-raising project.
If the plant doesn’t comply with the order, DEC will raise the fines – but residents questioned if the penalties would suffice for Green Asphalt, which reported $10 million in revenue last year.
“We can’t be paying rent … to live in the sludge of someone else’s profit,” Gallagher said, adding she has already reached out to environmental law group EarthJustice regarding a class action lawsuit against the plant.
In the meantime, pols called on agencies like the DOT that still use Green Asphalt to immediately stop working with the plant.
The DOT confirmed it is still “reviewing” the request to cease operations with Green Asphalt as of Thursday afternoon.
“We are going to keep the pressure on Green Asphalt, on DEC, on every city agency and make sure they’re cooperating,” Restler said.
“If this doesn’t get fixed right and quick, there’s going to be hell to pay.”
