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NYC to close Brooklyn concrete recycling facility loathed by neighbors
By
Rosemary Misdary
Published Jul 11, 2025
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David Gray
By
Rosemary Misdary
Published Jul 11, 2025
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A concrete recycling facility on the Brooklyn waterfront that produced dust so thick it blanketed nearby residents’ cars and windows will cease operations next month, Mayor Eric Adams announced Friday.
The Department of Transportation facility had been the subject of complaints since it opened in February of last year. Workers operated heavy duty machinery that smashed blocks of concrete, filtered the rubble and then repurposed it for sidewalk extensions, pedestrian islands and more. But that process produced a lot of dust stored on the windy waterfront. Residents said the chalky material made it difficult to breathe and burned their eyes.
A petition to close the recycling center garnered more than 1,500 signatures. About 50 residents blocked the entrance to the facility during a tense demonstration earlier this year.
“With the closure of the concrete recycling facility at the Columbia Street Waterfront District, we are taking an important step toward realizing a greener, safer and more vibrant Brooklyn Marine Terminal for the residents of this community,” Adams said.
The mayor said the closure would help allow major redevelopment plans for the Brooklyn Marine Terminal to advance. That 122-acre project, which includes the site of the current concrete facility, would build 5,000 market-rate apartments, along with 2,700 more affordably priced units. Adams said the concrete recycling yard would be fully closed by the end of the year. The facility’s previous location at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal in Sunset Park was closed to make space for construction of offshore wind turbines.
Concrete recycling is a sustainable practice. When concrete is reused instead of going into a landfill, it conserves natural resources and reduces emissions and costs. But the city’s efforts to reduce the dust by hosing down concrete piles on the site did little to reduce residents’ complaints.
“Closing the concrete recycling facility on the Columbia Waterfront is long overdue and will bring real quality of life improvements,” Hanif said.
Concrete dust contains silica, aluminum, calcium and iron. According to OSHA, exposure can lead to lung cancer and kidney diseases.
The concrete facility will be relocated to a new site, which officials did not identify.
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Health and Science
brooklyn
Rosemary Misdary
Rosemary is health & science reporter. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 646-544-9524.
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