Staten Island's Smelly Surprise: Composting Brings Back Bad Memories

Staten Island has a long history with garbage. The Fresh Kills landfill was once the city's dumping ground. It was a huge problem for the people living there. The landfill was supposed to close after a few years. But it stayed open for over 50 years. The smell was terrible. It made life miserable for residents, especially in the Travis area. Now, there's a new issue. A composting facility on the old landfill site is causing bad smells. The state has found that this facility is the problem. It's been around since 1991. But now, it's handling more waste because of new city rules. These rules say people must separate organic waste for composting. The facility is almost at full capacity. This means more work and more smell for the people of Travis. They already know what garbage smells like. They lived with the landfill's stench for generations. The city promised to close the landfill and turn it into a park. People thought the bad smells were gone for good. But now, the composting facility is bringing back those bad memories. It's like the city is dumping on Staten Island again. Some people even think Staten Island should leave New York City because of this. The city is trying to fix the problem. They want to use scented mist and special covered systems. They also plan to turn compost early in the morning and check the smells in nearby areas. But will these solutions work? Only time will tell.