Residents of a polluted neighborhood have filed suit against New York City and a waste recycling company, saying that putrid odors emanating from two nearby sewage facilities are ruining their lives. Residents in the Hunts Point neighborhood of the Bronx complain that the stench from the plants infiltrates homes and schools, keeping families from enjoying their yards or even hanging clothes out to dry. At a local school, students don’t go out to play when the odor hits. The South Bronx is made up largely of working-class people. The lawsuit, filed in state Supreme Court, is focused on two plants in the neighborhood. One is a city-run sewage facility that takes in the waste of about 600,000 New Yorkers. The other is the privately run New York Organic Fertilizer Co., which transforms city sewage into fertilizer pellets.

The private plant is owned by Synagro Technologies Inc., of Houston, which operates in 33 states as America’s largest recycler of organic waste. Synagro’s parent company is the Carlyle Group, a global private equity firm. The Plaintiffs are demanding only that the facilities take the necessary steps to make upgrades to eliminate or reduce the odors. They are not seeking monetary damages.

Source: Associated Press

Other Related Articles

1. Toxic Plume Cleanup Schedualed For 18 Years After Discovery
2. Renewal Environmental Solutions Update
3. Nursing home residents and families get a victory
4. Residents approve $6.6 million paint factory explosion settlement
5. Seniors At Risk In Nursing Homes