Fumes emitting from the Green Asphalt plant in Blissvillle on Jan. 27, 2025. Photo courtesy of Thomas J. Mituzas.
June 5, 2025 By Shane O’Brien
Residents on both sides of the Newtown Creek in Blissville and Greenpoint have raised concerns about alleged pollution from a green asphalt contractor on Railroad Avenue.
Green Asphalt, located at 37-98 Railroad Ave., replaces traditional asphalt mixes with recycled asphalt, stating that recycled mixes help reduce costs for contractors and improve sustainability goals in projects across the city.
However, residents have stated that fumes from the plant have created significant quality-of-life issues in the area ever since Green Asphalt established a presence in Blissville in 2011.
Numerous residents living on both sides of Newtown Creek have alleged that pollution from the plant has intensified in recent years, leaving locals struggling with acrid smells regularly.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation issued Green Asphalt a nuisance violation in January 2024, stating that emissions from the plant were of such poor quality that they “unreasonably interfered with the comfortable enjoyment of life or property.”
Residents, however, state that the issue has only gotten worse since Green Asphalt was served the violation 17 months ago, alleging that fumes from the plant also make it more difficult to breathe in the area.
Thomas J. Mituzas, a member of the Blissville Civic Association, said he was forced to temporarily move his 96-year-old aunt out of the area last summer over concerns for her health because the air was “choking us so badly.”
“We had the windows closed, and it was still choking us,” Mituzas said.
Fumes emitting from the plant in May. Photo courtesy of Thomas J. Mituzas.
Mituzas said he has reached out to Green Asphalt on several occasions over the issue but has not received any correspondence from the company.
Warren Davis, president of the Blissville Civic Association, said air quality in the local area can be suffocating, stating that the level of contamination varies from day to day.
“First, you get the smell,” Davis said. “Then, it’s choking. At times it’s very heavy, but at other times it’s light.”
Others said the level of contamination depends on wind speed and direction, with pollution impacting Blissville residents on certain days and Greenpoint residents on others, depending on the wind.
Willis Elkins, executive director of the Newtown Creek Alliance, said the plan emits ” foul-smelling particulate matter” and that the issue has been “getting worse and worse” for many years.
“Anyone who experiences it has instant issues with it,” Elkins said. “It’s not a subtle issue. It’s a very strong odor and it smells like burning rubber.”
Davis, meanwhile, said residents are still waiting for Green Asphalt to install smoke stacks that will carry emissions further into the atmosphere and prevent them from impacting local residents.
Residents said they have been in contact with numerous elected officials regarding the issue, including Assembly Members Claire Valdez and Emily Gallagher, State Sen. Mike Gianaris and Council Member Julie Won.
Residents wrote in a letter to Won and Gianaris that the community is being “poisoned” by fumes from the Green Asphalt plant.
A number of elected officials met with the DEC on Monday to obtain more information about the incident.
Valdez said Monday that the situation is “untenable”, adding that elected officials are currently working with DEC and community stakeholders to find a “good solution.”
She said officials are awaiting more information about the exact level of particulate matter in the air and potential solutions to the incident.
Won, meanwhile, is working to ensure that DEC tests air quality in Blissville and enforces regulations appropriately to improve the situation.
Gallagher’s office stated that Green Asphalt has not properly addressed the issue, adding that Gallagher is exploring the various remediation options available. Officials stated that Gallagher is “deeply concerned” about the issue.
Carlos Castell Croke, chair of Community Board 2’s Environmental Committee, has also penned a letter to the DEC over the issue, stating that he has experienced the smell while cycling across the Kosciuszko Bridge.
“It’s definitely not pleasant,” Castell Croke said. “I imagine if you were living in it, that it could be really bad.”
Green Asphalt said in a statement that it has been in compliance with the DEC’s air requirements since it was first permitted in 2017. The statement further added that the company is addressing any complaints related to the January 2024 violation.
“We have been working diligently to address any odor complaints. Green Asphalt’s goal is to remain in good standing with the community as we have over the last 14 years, and we continue to engage with local stakeholders in Greenpoint and Long Island City to resolve this as soon as possible,” the company said in a statement.
Sources familiar with the matter said Green Asphalt is exploring ways to expand the height of the plant’s smokestacks to carry emissions further into the atmosphere and avoid quality-of-life issues for the surrounding community. They said expanding the smokestacks is a “complex” and timely issue and not a quick fix.
Green Asphalt had hoped to have increased the height of the smokestacks within the first half of 2025, but sources conceded that this is now unlikely. They added that they are hopeful the expansion will take place “quite soon.”
Company sources also stated that Green Asphalt has a positive impact on the environment by using recycled asphalt and subsequently removing 2,600 trucks off New York roadways every year.
Castell Croke said the company’s use of recycled materials is “good for the environment” but noted that it has also violated state laws.
“I don’t necessarily want them to stop their operation,” Castell Croke said. “I think what they’re doing and creating – recycled asphalt and recycled material for construction – is generally a good thing, but the burden it’s having on the local neighborhood is unfair.”
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