STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Residents and an elected official are seeking answers after enduring a year’s worth of foul odor in the Travis section of Staten Island.
Councilmember David Carr is imploring Acting Commissioner Javier Lojan of the city Department of Sanitation for a solution to the stinky crisis, thought to be coming from Staten Island’s composting facility.
“Recently, it was brought to my attention by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) that they have reached the conclusion that this facility is the most likely source of this foul odor that has been permeating the area on a recurring basis for the last year or so,” Carr wrote.
“Having finally been given confirmation as to its source, it is imperative that DSNY address this matter as soon as possible,” he added.
In a comment to the Advance/SILive.com, a DSNY spokesperson listed the ways the department is looking to curb the funky smells, including: a scented mist at DSNY operations; a special covered composting system; turning compost at 5 a.m.; and regular odor assessments in neighborhoods surrounding the facility.
Part of the Department of Sanitation’s Staten Island compost facility is shown Thursday, June 12, 2025.(Advance/SILive.com|Paul Liotta)
But, according to residents, the odor mitigation has not been wholly effective — even causing them to return to their homes early on smellier days.
“The odor is most prevalent in the mornings, but it is sometimes in the afternoon as well; it is definitely not a pleasant odor,” Mary Lu Hayes, a nearby resident, said. “It’s not every day, but it is frequent. The nice weather is worse.”
For Paul Dietrich, who has lived in the borough for five decades, the smell is concerning for another reason.
“…my concern [is] in the area [is] you got a brand-new school and that’s in the smell area,” Dietrich explained.
The new school, Staten Island Rise Academy, also known as PS 89, is a District 75 school that opened in Travis, co-located with PS/I.S. 26 — at the original PS 26 building and the brand-new constructed building located just 1,000 feet away. It opened in September.
To Dietrich, the smell is more “acrid” than that of the former Fresh Kills Landfill and can be whiffed on both sides of the West Shore Expressway — though he reckons the west side is more potent.
“Either way, we will continue to investigate the conditions in the area and do anything possible to mitigate the natural odors associated with this important recycling program,” the DSNY spokesperson told the Advance/SILive.com.
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