Greenpoint residents were told they would soon be able to get the plugs out of their noses, but some critics say the promises smell like “bullshit.”
A chemical, burning odor that has plagued modern neighborhoods Local politicians announced this week that more than a year’s worth of cleanup will be carried out in the coming months – although residents remain skeptical that the smell is going anywhere.
Green Asphalt in Long Island City is working to adjust its flow so that the so-called “Greenpoint stink” no longer spreads into residential areas, according to Assembly Member Emily Gallagher.
Long Island City Plant – the nation’s first 100% recycled asphalt plant – Guess your hipster neighbors The smell will be eliminated by mid-2025.
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” one resident who chose to remain anonymous told The Post.
The four-year-old Greenpointer compared the aroma of asphalt to “burning tires” to “straight up chemical waste”, a putrid mixture he and his girlfriend dubbed “Greenpoint Stink”.
The couple almost never open the windows in their Kingsland Avenue apartment – across Newtown Creek from the smelly plant – for fear of inhaling contaminated air. He also invested in an air purifier that’s almost always running, he said.
“Our air quality is not that good. We know what it is and I, having worked in that area, would notice some mornings that there was nothing going up in the sky,” he said of the asphalt plant.
The stench first hit the area late last summer, adding another stench to an already notoriously smelly neighborhood – Greenpoint regularly battles contaminated air coming from a waste treatment plant, a plastics manufacturing site and toxic Newtown Creek.
More than 200 residents complained of burning odors in Gallagher, leading a survey by the state Department of Environmental Protection to identify Green Ashpalt as the smelly culprit.
The problem isn’t just the smell — asphalt fumes can cause serious injury and permanent damage, including skin cancer, according to Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Health effects of exposure to asphalt fumes include headaches, skin rashes, sensitivity, fatigue, loss of appetite, throat and eye irritation, cough, and skin cancer.
“We started receiving complaints about the odor last year,” Gallagher told The Post in a statement.
“We tracked and mapped them, and we shared data with state and local agencies who helped identify the source,” Gallagher said. “It hasn’t gotten worse, and it happens intermittently,”
According to the assembly member, Green Asphalt plans to reduce the smell through a new air dispersion model that will adjust the airstacks so that smoke is directed away from residential areas.
But where ‘Stink’ will be diverted is still unknown.
A representative from the company could not elaborate on the specifics of the plan or how it would avoid impacting another community in a densely populated part of the city — but assured that the problem would be fixed within the first half of 2025.
“Green Asphalt is currently working with the New York State Department of Environmental Protection to determine the most effective course of action to address the community’s concerns,” Green Asphalt told The Post in a statement.
“Green Asphalt aims to remain in good standing with the community as we have for the past 13 years, and we will continue to engage with local stakeholders in Greenpoint and Long Island City to resolve this as quickly as possible.”
Sociology researcher and Queens College professor Robin Rogers suspected that the plan was nothing more than a way to appease Greenpoint residents.
“This is the biggest bullseye,” Rogers, who has lived in Greenpoint for 25 years, said of the plan to remove the odor.
Rogers – who described the smell as “acidic” and similar to burning metal – said neighborhoods are often presented with loose plans to fix ongoing problems, but are left without concrete solutions. He pointed to a town hall several years ago Water testing in Newtown CreekBut when organizers were pressed for specifics, they resisted.
“I wouldn’t call it new,” she said of the asphalt scent. “You get used to it.”
Carey, who has lived in Greenpoint for 16 years, also expressed skepticism that the problem will be solved, especially in such a short period of time.
“I have a lot of confidence in what they do here. I mean, look what they did to McGuinness,” Carey said, referencing the recent controversy over a bike-lane plan. “Nobody is doing anything for this neighborhood. It’s good that they say they are going, but I doubt it.
Carey said the smell is usually at its worst in the morning, claiming it has forced her to completely change the way she walks her pups daily.
The pair almost entirely avoid McGolrick Park, or the eastern side of the neighborhood, where the odors are strongest.
“I feel so bad walking him,” Carey said of her dog. “I only smell it when I’m walking with her and I feel bad that she smells it more intensely.
“(Greenpoint) was not really meant for residential space. It used to be all industrial, and it’s changed over the years, obviously, but nobody’s doing much about it.
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