The New York Fertilizing Company (NYFCO), which treats commercial and residential processed waste and converts it into fertilizers, has the South Bronx community furious. People are saying that the company is the problem not the solution.

According to residents, NYFCO, a company of the Synagro corporation, releases odors and chemicals that make people sick, causing asthma and cancer. “One of the first things I learned in ecology is, if it smells bad, it’s harmful,” said Jaime Rivera from the South Bronx Clean Air Coalition.

On September 23rd, approximately 100 residents from the Hunts Point area gave the company two choices: clean it up or close it down.

NYFCO’s contract specifies that no odors should be emitted. “I’m not going to say that from time to time odors are not released,” stated Lisa Alvarado, of the public relations office for the company. She added that usually they are minor technical problems which are quickly corrected and the community notified.

According to the company, gases that are released do not affect health. In the short time that we were there, I developed a painful headache and an eye irritation. The odor was very strong.

The incidence of asthma in the South Bronx is much higher than the national average.

“This is environmental racism, because we are Blacks, Hispanics and poor people living here,” said Francisco Pérez from Madres en Movimiento (Mothers on the Move). Pérez has called on elected politicians to protest or lose the community’s votes.