Earlier this month, the city vowed to cut ties with New York Organic Fertilizer Company, which was responsible for an odious smell that left residents in Hunts Point feeling very fowl. Well, don't inhale too deeply yet Hunts Point residents: the NYOFCO isn't planning on going anywhere. Even if the city does terminate their contract in June, as was promised, the company will try importing sludge from elsewhere. They also plan to try to salvage the agreement with the city with deeper discounts.
Money was the primary motivation in the city finally confronting the "filthy toilet" smell: DEP Commissioner Cas Holloway told the City Council recently that "the city could save $18 million a year by diverting sludge to landfills rather than paying NYOFCO to convert it into fertilizer pellets," according to the Daily News. The company is also contending with a lawsuit filed by residents of Hunts Point over the consistent odor problems; if they lose the city contract, it could ruin a planned settlement agreement that would include the installment of modern equipment to eliminate the odor.
