Lindenhurst rejects expansion plan for controversial recycling company

The Village of Lindenhurst has rejected an effort by a recycling company to expand its business, citing the impact on nearby residents.

One World Recycling LLC processes commercial waste, construction and demolition debris, using a rail spur that was dormant until the 1980s. The spur, a branch track off a central rail line, has been used since 2008 by New York & Atlantic Railway, which leases the tracks from the Long Island Rail Road for freight.

For years, neighbors have complained of after-hours work, noise and dust from the North Queens Avenue operation. Local fire chiefs have expressed concern about a nearby railroad crossing gate staying down too long, creating a safety issue.

Three years ago, the company pitched to the village an expansion of the facility, which would enclose part of the operation, a move the company said would decrease noise and air pollution.

"The board decided that although there were some advantages to enclosing the entire operation, they were outweighed by the risks associated with increases in traffic, both in rail and road," said village attorney Gerard Glass.

One World's application was still before the zoning board, but the company withdrew it after the village's decision, Glass said. Following litigation, the company in 2004 signed a stipulation with the village that it could not expand without village approval, he said.

"The company is really up in the air as to whether it will go through the effort to try and expand or just leave it as it is running today," One World comptroller Marty Sternberg said of any revised plans. "We thought the expansion of a building could be much more environmentally correct. But if they don't want it, they don't want it. We're not going to twist their arm."

The company initially received a permit from the state Department of Environmental Conservation to process 370 tons per day. In the massive cleanup that followed superstorm Sandy, the company received an emergency permit to process 1,100 tons a day. It continues to operate under this permit.

Neighbors of the facility hailed the village's decision.

Kathy Harvey said that after living in her home for 34 years, the increased noise and traffic backups caused by the rail cars moving back and forth into the spur has her contemplating a move.

"I can't even sit in my backyard," she said. "I can't even get out of my own driveway."

Forty-year resident Joe Gargiulo said the company's emergency permit after Sandy was "a way for them to weasel their way into more tonnage permanently." Gargiulo, whose deck and bedroom window overlook the tracks, said the increased activity has "truly changed my quality of life here."

Glass said that after negotiations One World has improved.

"But it's still an imperfect marriage between commercial and residential," he said. "We're keeping a close eye on what goes on to make sure the impact on the residential neighbors is minimized."

By Denise M. Bonilla

denise.bonilla@newsday.comdenisebonilla

Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.