Raising a stink: The Post sniffed out NYC’s smelliest neighborhoods, according to 311 complaints

Nypost · May 11, 2026 · 1054 words · By Ben Cost

Civic Complaints Neighborhood Reputation Urban Sanitation

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/11/lifestyle/raising-a-stink-the-post-sniffed-out-nyc…

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

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Name Calling / Labeling 85% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

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Exaggeration / Hyperbole 80% confidence

Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

18 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

schedule Pending 8

info Single Source 4

help Insufficient Evidence 3

verified Verified By Reference 2

check_circle Corroborated 1

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“With 5,332 stench reports to NYC’s non-emergency 311 hotline already this year, 2026 is shaping up to be quite a stinker”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of dictionary definitions and general Wikipedia entries about 311 and NYC government. No specific data regarding 5,332 reports in 2026 was found in the search results.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 311 is a special telephone number supported in many communities in the United States and Canada. The number provides access to non-emergency municipal services. The number format follows the N11 code …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/311_(telephone_number)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The government of New York City, headquartered at New York City Hall in Lower Manhattan, is organized under the New York City Charter and provides for a mayor-council system. The mayor is elected to a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_New_York_City

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The New York City Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI), formerly known as the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT), is the department of the government of New York …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_Office_of_Techno…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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“during the highly aromatic period from May 1 through July 31 last year, a whopping 4,093 smell complaints were logged”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web search results (one citing an analysis by The Post and another general analysis) both explicitly state that 4,093 smell complaints were logged between May 1 and July 31 last year (2025).

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — .nyc is a top level domain (TLD) for New York City. It was delegated to the root zone by ICANN on March 20, 2014. In May 2018, the .nyc registry updated its WHOIS access policy to protect personally i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.nyc

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — An election for the mayor of New York City was held on November 4, 2025. Democratic state assemblyman Zohran Mamdani won the election with 50.78% of the vote, defeating Republican activist Curtis Sliw…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_New_York_City_mayoral_ele…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — NYC Mesh is a physical network of interconnected routers and a group of enthusiasts working to support the expansion of the project as a freely accessible, open, wireless community network. NYC Mesh i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NYC_Mesh

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

“the same period in 2024, which saw 3,756 calls”

SINGLE SOURCE

One web search result ('Identifying the most odor-filled areas in NYC based on 311 complaints ...') mentions 3,756 complaints in the same time frame in 2024. While it corroborates the 2025 figure, the 2024 figure is only explicitly mentioned in that specific context within the provided results.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

info

“In 2025, the city logged a gag-inducing total of 15,322 odor-related complaints”

SINGLE SOURCE

The web search result 'Identifying the most odor-filled areas in NYC based on 311 complaints ...' explicitly states that 2025 saw 15,322 complaints. No other independent source in the evidence provided confirms this specific total.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States. It is located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural h…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — New York City is made up of five governmental districts named boroughs: The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. Each borough is coextensive with a respective county of the State of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boroughs_of_New_York_City

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The mayor of New York City, officially mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The mayor's office ad…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayor_of_New_York_City

+ 3 more evidence sources

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“The top five olfactory infractions were for vehicle idling (5,381 complaints), chemical/gases and vapors (2,812), sewage odor (1,487), chemical odor (1,357) and sewer odor (1,202).”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence contains a 'Data Dump' snippet mentioning chemical odors in the Bronx, but it does not list the specific top five categories or the exact numbers (5,381, 2,812, etc.) mentioned in the claim.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — NYC, or New York City, is the most populous city in the United States. NYC or nyc may also refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NYC_(disambiguation)

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+ 3 more evidence sources

info

“The city DEP itself received just over 11,200 odor complaints in 2025, compared to more than 10,600 in 2024.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While one source mentions that outdoor odor complaints are at an 'all-time high' and up 54%, it does not provide the specific numbers (11,200 and 10,600) attributed to the DEP.

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web search NEUTRAL — On the homepage of nyc.gov, you can check today's statuses for parking, schools, and trash collection. You can also access popular services, news, and see what's new from NYC government.
https://www.nyc.gov/

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web search NEUTRAL — View organization page for NYC Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP).
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/nycdep_nycwater-activity-7458…

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web search NEUTRAL — A new report that analyzed 311 calls claimed outdoor odor complaints in New York City have risen to an "all-time high," up 54% since last year.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/nyc-outdoor-odor-complaints-hit-a…

info

“the Big, Rotten Apple was named 2025’s third-smelliest US city by online retailer Prilla, only out-stunk by No. 1 Houston and No. 2 Los Angeles”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence provided for this claim consists of dictionary definitions of 'online' and a gaming website. There is no mention of a Prilla ranking of the smelliest cities.

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web search NEUTRAL — An O2 wireless box with lights showing that the router has power, an ethernet connection and a broadband connection, but that its internet connection and Wi-Fi are offline In computer technology and t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_and_offline

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web search NEUTRAL — Play free online games at Poki, the #1 website for instant web games. Explore exclusive titles, popular favorites, and new game releases every day - no download needed!
https://poki.com/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The meaning of ON LINE is in or into operation. How to use on line in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/online

help

“none wage an assault on the shnoz like 10036, encompassing Times Square, the Theater District and parts of Hell’s Kitchen. ... The putrid district logged a nostril-singeing 1,648 complaints in 2025”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

The claim states ZIP code 10036 logged 1,648 complaints in 2025. However, the evidence from 'Raising a stink: The Post sniffed out NYC's smelliest neighborhoods...' explicitly states there were 220 smell complaints in 2025 for that ZIP code, directly contradicting the claim's number.

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web search NEUTRAL — In the realm of offensive ZIP codes, none wage an assault on the shnoz like 10036, encompassing Times Square, the Theater District and parts of Hell’s Kitchen.There were 220 smell complaints in 2025, …
https://nypost.com/2026/05/11/lifestyle/raising-a-stink-the-…

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web search NEUTRAL — ZIP Code 10036 has 33,868 residents and 19,676 households (average 1.60 persons per household). The median age is 36.6 years, slightly younger than the state (39.0) and slightly younger than the natio…
https://www.zip-codes.com/zip-code/10036/zip-code-10036.asp

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web search NEUTRAL — ZIP code 10036 is located in southeast New York and covers a slightly less than average land area compared to other ZIP codes in the United States. It also has an extremely large population density.
https://www.unitedstateszipcodes.org/10036/

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“1,378 of which were related to fumes from vehicle idling”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching for this specific claim.

help

“the lion’s share of those interestingly hailed from 680 Eighth Ave., which is the address of the Times Eatery deli”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching for this specific claim.

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“Patrick Schnell, has reportedly pocketed $582,800 since the program’s debut in 2019 by filming trucks idling for more than three minutes”

PENDING

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“Greenpoint ... recorded 267 smell complaints last year, with 110 related to animal odors”

PENDING

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“the facility, Green Asphalt, had been forced to shutter after it failed to raise its smokestacks by a state-mandated deadline”

PENDING

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“Brooklyn’s 11235, which comprises Brighton Beach, Sheepshead Bay and Manhattan Beach. ... was wracked by 243 smell complaints, 96 of which were related to chemical vapors and odors.”

PENDING

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“11364, the Bayside and Littleneck, Queens, area. There were 220 smell complaints in 2025, with 182 relating to chemical odor.”

PENDING

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“Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced plans to expand the “containerization” program ... to six districts, bringing garbage bins to 25,000 residences in larger buildings across NYC.”

PENDING

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“buildings with one to nine residential units will be required to use special city bins for trash starting this June, according to NYC.gov”

PENDING

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“New Yorkers have already ordered 1 million bins since they were rolled out in 2024”

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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.

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Raising a stink: The Post sniffed out NYC’s smelliest neighborhoods, according to 311 complaints

psychologyDetected Techniques

fact_checkFact-Check Results