Residents of the Columbia Waterfront District say a nearby cement operation is making their air purifiers go ‘berserk.’ The DOT claims it’s under control.
After the rally, Amanda Zinoman and fellow residents block a DOT vehicle from entering the cement recycling facility. Photo: Jack Delaney
By Jack Delaney | jdelaney@queensledger.com
What you need to know:
- Columbia St residents are calling for the closure of a cement recycling facility run by the city, which they say is causing both noise and air pollution.
- The DOT says that the recycling is critical to reducing emissions, and claims it has introduced safety measures. However, local leaders have posted footage that suggests these measures have not been implemented consistently.
- City officials reiterated that the site will remain open during a meeting last week, but area pols said they would visit soon to ensure that dust mitigation efforts are occurring.
Read on:
I’m shivering as I peer down at the man in the beanie’s phone, which shows a dramatic scene —it’s a video seemingly taken by a drone around sunset, in which a roughly fifty-foot tall cloud of dust blows off a mound of concrete rubble by the docks and billows ominously inland, toward the homes of Red Hook — when the rally takes a turn.
The public statements are over, and a clump of elected officials hangs back to answer questions. But local resident Amanda Zinoman, wearing a neon orange beanie of her own, is leading a group of protesters to the gates of the cement recycling plant on Columbia Street. They’ve spotted two newcomers: a pair of Department of Transportation workers is pulling up to their site in a truck, and Zinoman’s cohort is determined to stop them.
“We need a real solution — no more air pollution!” the residents chant, standing shoulder to shoulder to block the entry. “Shut it down!” A TV cameraman swoops in; soon an NYPD car arrives on the scene, and two officers step out to appraise the situation. A small crowd of protesters, including a man in a luchador mask, a local named Luke, cheers from the sidelines. For their part, the DOT employees seem more mystified than miffed.
The energy swells, and then — in an instant — dissipates. The officers calmly usher the picketers aside, the truck rolls ahead, and soon most of the rallygoers head home.
Yet discussions with parents and tenants who lingered for hours in the 30-degree weather suggest that local opposition to the recycling facility, which opened approximately one year ago in what was originally billed as a temporary relocation, is unlikely to subside anytime soon.
Local legend John Leyva, pictured above, was the rally’s MC. Photo: Jack Delaney
At issue is whether SIM Municipal Recycling, which was moved to the current site to make way for offshore wind infrastructure at the South Brooklyn Terminal, poses a significant pollution risk to those living nearby.
In theory, concrete recycling is a step towards sustainability: cement production alone accounts for 8% of global emissions, and when a French firm unveiled the world’s first housing complex to be built with 100% recycled concrete in 2022, developers in the U.S. took note — it seemed like a promising path to meeting lofty climate goals.
On the local level, however, the crushed concrete produced by recycling facilities is still crystalline silica, which can be hazardous to humans if inhaled. The DOT has previously said that the Columbia Street site uses safety measures — mainly keeping the dust wet with sprinklers — that prevent it from becoming airborne.
“Concrete recycling is an important part of NYC DOT’s safety and accessibility work, and this plant was relocated temporarily to accommodate the city’s critical, climate-saving offshore wind operations. We are taking all the necessary steps to keep the public safe—though in response to community feedback, NYC DOT has taken new measures to decrease the size of the recycled material piles in this plant and further reduce dust and noise.”
But residents at the rally questioned whether these measures were being consistently implemented, and shared stories of how the facility was impacting their wellbeing.
“I’ve had grey dust in my home daily since February 2024,” said local Geraldine Pope. “I needed to install air purifiers in every room. I wake up in the morning with a dusty cough. I cannot open my windows anymore because the air is now toxic to me.”
Rob Petrone, a resident who lives directly across from the site, had similar complaints. “I can’t open my garbage pail or hold my stair rail without getting gray toxic dust on my hands, I can’t open my window without my air purifier going berserk,” he said, noting that no neighbors were given advance notice of the relocation. “So many of us have kids, and this is what they breathe daily as they walk to school, as they go to parks, as they play sports.”
Corroborating their claims, a man quietly pointed to the roof of a nearby car, which was — sure enough — covered in the much-discussed dust.
Zinoman was frustrated that the DOT was, in her view, refusing to recognize a reality that was clear to those on the ground. “Why are my lungs feeling so shit? I live right here — of course that’s it,” she said. “Look at his car! You can see it in the air, it’s not abstract.”
Like Petrone, resident Ivan Martinovic felt particular urgency as a parent. “We have a concrete plant three blocks away from our school,” he said, referencing PS 29. “Let that sink in. I don’t know if I would be here if I didn’t have a son, but I am here, and I’m inclined to speak. I’m here for his classmates. I’m here for the kids in next year’s incoming class, the future. The community deserves better.”
A truck eventually passes through, as residents continue to chant. Photo: Jack Delaney
Another sticking point is the noise pollution, which several protesters said begins around 6 a.m. and ‘shakes the foundations’ of their homes. In December, DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said that noise minimizers had been installed on nearly all of the site’s vehicles and equipment, yet concerns remain.
Local electeds have been taking note. Following a rally last November, Council Member Shahana Hanif, Congresmember Dan Goldman, Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon, and state Senator Andrew Gounardes sent a joint letter demanding that the facility be shut down by the end of 2024. The DOT demurred, promising last year that it would suspend operations on days when winds exceed 30 mph, adopt further mitigation strategies and look for a new site. But “these commitments have not been fulfilled,” the letter alleged. “Dust emissions persist, and operations continue despite high winds.”
At the event on Wednesday, officials said that the DOT response had outlined a plan for more water trucks and other tools to keep the piles of recycled concrete aggregate, or RCA, wet and therefore contained. But like residents, they were skeptical that the measures were being enacted. “We’ve seen enough footage from when that letter was sent to us up until now,” said CM Hanif, “to know that that’s not true.”
The day after the rally, Hanif and her colleagues met with Rodriguez and Deputy Mayor of Operations Meera Joshi to demand the ‘immediate closure’ of the facility. The results were mixed: a spokesperson for Hanif’s office said that the duo declined, citing potential delays to other city projects. Instead, they shared progress on mitigation efforts, such as an irrigation system that Rodriguez had previously asserted would be rolled out in February.
Residents aren’t appeased. “Anytime there’s a dangerous situation, it gets shut down until you can figure everything out,” said John Leyva, as Zinoman stared down the DOT truck. “This can’t go on for another six months.”
