The Green Asphalt facility in Long Island City, Queens, which recycles old pavement into new asphalt. (Credit: Manon Beliot)
Joe doesn’t need a clock to know when Green Asphalt Co. begins its daily operations. Each morning, a sharp chemical odor blankets his Greenpoint, Brooklyn neighborhood, so strong that stepping outside irritates his throat within minutes. As someone who suffers from asthma and works from home, Joe keeps an air purifier running constantly on days when the plant is operating. From his rooftop, half a mile away, he can see the facility’s smokestack releasing a haze toward his block. “It’s not just the smell,” he said. “It’s the fear of breathing in something that could cause cancer.”
For years, Greenpoint residents have endured the odor, but this fall their frustration turned into a coordinated response. Nearly 150 locals gathered at the Polish & Slavic Center for a town hall meeting with Green Asphalt executives, representatives from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), and local elected officials. The Long Island City-based company, which recycles old pavement into new asphalt, describes its process as sustainable. Yet, residents argue that it produces a continuous, nauseating odor that disrupts their lives.
The meeting highlighted issues already flagged by state regulators. In August, the DEC issued a consent order against Green Asphalt for failing to submit emissions data from 2019 to 2023. The order imposed fines exceeding $120,000, an amount residents called insignificant compared to the company’s contracts, and mandated that Green Asphalt raise its smokestacks from 45 to 90 feet by December 11. The company must also test emissions for 25 contaminants after the upgrade. Noncompliance could result in additional penalties or even suspension of operations.
Still, residents left the meeting dissatisfied. The DEC confirmed that it does not plan to install additional air monitors until the taller stack is built. Joe, who asked that his last name be withheld out of concern for retaliation, called that a dangerous gap.
What worries him most is the lack of oversight around how emissions are tested. “I don’t know, maybe I’m being naive, but I feel like they could maybe do more to regulate the testing,” he said. For him, the problem is not just the smell but the uncertainty – residents still lack trustworthy evidence of what they breathe daily.
“They only test for particulate matter, using consultants hired by the company,” he said. “We need independent monitoring to know what’s really in the air.”
The fumes affect daily life across Greenpoint. Senior citizens who have lived in the neighborhood for decades say they never knew the source of the odor until younger neighbors began drawing attention to it. Emily Caccam, who lives near McGolrick Park, said she no longer lets her cats outside because even opening a window feels like inviting a gas leak into her apartment.
Other residents said the smell is strongest during the plant’s operating hours, particularly between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. “It’s like a gas leak that never ends,” said Caccam. She was out of town during the first meeting but noticed posters around McGolrick Park advertising it and said she plans to attend if another one is held. “You can feel how organized people are getting,” she said.
“Greenpoint is usually so quiet you forget you’re in the city,” Caccam said. “People move here for the green space and the family feel. But this makes it feel like industrial Manhattan.”
The plant’s early hours intensify the problem. According to Joe and fellow resident Robert Tomczyk, even after the machinery stops, the smell lingers for hours.
Green Asphalt’s leadership, including founder Michael Capasso and head of business Jim McMurray, maintains that the facility meets all state safety standards; neither returned requests for comment by phone or email. The company, founded in 2011, employs fewer than 50 workers at its Long Island City site and reported at the town hall that it made roughly $10 million in revenue last year. Green Asphalt has supplied recycled asphalt to the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) since 2013 for paving and resurfacing projects, including street repairs in Brooklyn and Queens, as well as to private construction contractors.
Residents question the company’s environmental claims. While executives describe their operation as a model for sustainable construction, many neighbors see that branding as misleading. Recycling asphalt may reduce carbon emissions and landfill waste, but residents say that benefit means little if the process exposes nearby communities to harmful fumes.
Local elected officials are paying attention to their constituents’ complaints. Assemblymember Emily Gallagher and Council Member Lincoln Restler attended the September meeting, engaging with community concerns about the Green Asphalt plant. Gallagher emphasized that if the company does not comply with the DEC’s orders, it could face more permanent consequences.
Gallagher said the DEC is the agency with direct oversight of Green Asphalt and that her office has been closely following its enforcement actions. She noted that the company has had “plenty of time to proactively address the harm they’re causing to the community” but has not taken the issue seriously.
“Even if it is just a smell issue, no one should breathe air that is deeply unpleasant in their own community,” Gallagher said. “If Green Asphalt wants to be a good neighbor and continue operating, it must raise its stack, commit to regular emissions testing, and address the harm it’s causing.”
“We are exploring all options, including calling for the shutdown of the plant’s operations,” she added.
Her office is collaborating with the Department of Health to evaluate potential health risks, as residents have reported headaches, coughing, and eye and throat irritation from the emissions. Though the DEC claims emissions are within legal limits, Gallagher insists, “That’s not good enough.”
The company’s future may depend not only on meeting the December smokestack deadline but also on how it navigates political pressure. At the town hall, officials discussed urging the DOT to reconsider its contracts with Green Asphalt until it demonstrates full compliance with state requirements.
Council Member Lincoln Restler told attendees that he would push to suspend DOT and Green Asphalt Co. relationships if the company fails to comply by the December deadline. The remark drew applause from residents, who said taxpayer money should not support a business tied to ongoing environmental violations.
“Fines alone won’t cut it,” residents argued.
Joe, who maintains an Instagram account called Shut Down Green Asphalt, remains doubtful that a taller smokestack will solve the problem. “It might just spread the fumes further,” he said. Despite his deep love for Greenpoint, he is contemplating leaving when his lease expires. “I love this place,” he said. “But I don’t know how much longer I can keep breathing this sh-t.”
About the author(s)
Manon Beliot is a Columbia Journalism School student and Editor-in-Chief of La Revue [DEMOS], where she oversees coverage of global and political affairs.