Medford mulching firm cited over stench

Brookhaven Town has cited a Medford mulching business with violating town codes after neighbors complained the Peconic Avenue site emits odors so repellent they can't leave their homes or open windows.

The town charged Stephen Affatato, owner of Stonco Materials, with operating his company without a certificate of occupancy, lacking a site plan and violating town zoning laws. He is due in District Court in Patchogue on Aug. 18.

Brookhaven officials said they hope to force Affatato to address the concerns of neighbors.

"There is definitely a smell coming from this site," said Councilman Tim Mazzei, who represents the area. The company, he said, needs to "stop the smell and come into compliance" with town codes.

Affatato acknowledged that manufacturing mulch does cause an odor, but said neighbors' allegations against him are dramatically overstated. He added that the town's charges of zoning violations are not his fault because he does not own the property.

"I would never hurt anybody for self gain," he said, adding that his company does not take in heavy truckloads of raw grass, which can cause strong odors. "We're selective about what we take in."

But several residents who live a block south of the business said smells from Stonco resemble rotten eggs and have paralyzed the community.

Debbie O'Brien of Jamaica Avenue said the odors started in October -- about three months after Stonco started operating on Peconic Avenue -- and have increased this summer. The intensity varies with winds and temperatures, neighbors said.

"You can't even sit on your own porch," O'Brien said. "My kids are getting nauseous."

The Stonco facility, a 7-acre yard within a 1.6-mile industrial corridor, includes several piles of soil and landscaping debris, some as tall as 70 feet. The business grinds landscaping waste to make mulch and topsoil to sell wholesale, Affatato said.

A state Department of Environmental Conservation spokesman said the agency has received complaints, but not an abnormal amount for a mulching facility, and is monitoring the site.

The land-clearing debris Affatato uses is exempt from state regulation, and the process is considered a beneficial reuse of material that would otherwise end up in a landfill.

The town also cited the property's owner, Mark Needleman of Hauppauge, who denied any wrongdoing and said the site "doesn't produce any odor." He is also due in court Aug. 18, town officials said.

Area resident Brian Fabian challenged Needleman's claim.

"This is lowering property values and threatening health," he said. "I cannot invite friends and family members to my property because of the stench."

With Jennifer Smith