Green Asphalt shutdown brings brief relief from ‘Greenpoint Stink’

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GREENPOINT — RESIDENTS IN NORTH Brooklyn and across the Newtown Creek in Queens reported a sharp improvement in air quality after the Green Asphalt recycling plant temporarily shut down on Thursday for failing to meet a state-mandated deadline to raise its smokestacks, reports the New York Post.

The facility was required by the state Department of Environmental Conservation to double its stacks’ height to 90 feet, in order to better disperse odors and emissions. Unable to complete the work on time, Green Asphalt suspended operations, prompting an immediate drop in local air pollution readings, according to monitors maintained by the Blissville Civic Association.

Community members said eye irritation and throat discomfort quickly subsided, but remain skeptical about how long the relief will last.

Green Asphalt faces potential fines of nearly $100,000 and cannot reopen until it completes the upgrades and required emissions testing. City Councilmember Lincoln Restler estimates the shutdown could last at least a month.

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