The East Trenton Collaborative (ETC) achieved a major environmental justice victory when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officially added the Historic Potteries site to the National Priorities List on July 7th, securing federal funding for comprehensive lead contamination cleanup.
This milestone comes after a decade of persistent community organizing and over five years of focused work on lead contamination issues in East Trenton. From the 1850s through the 1920s, more than 70 pottery manufacturers operated in the neighborhood, using lead in their glazes and leaving widespread soil contamination that poses serious health risks, particularly to children under seven.
“This is a bittersweet accomplishment for our team and residents. The generational toll of this level of unmitigated contamination is felt daily by our community,” said Caitlin Fair, Program Director of the East Trenton Collaborative. “However, we are both relieved and hopeful that the work we have been able to do and will continue to do will be of tremendous benefit to future generations.”
The organizing efforts have been led by ETC’s resident-driven Environmental Safety Community Organizing Committee, headed by organizer Shereyl Snider. As a Lead-Free Community Hub in partnership with Lead-Free NJ, ETC has focused on increasing public awareness about lead dangers and advocating for testing and remediation at all levels of government.
“Our residents didn’t just demand action—they became experts,” said Snider. “We partnered with Rutgers to train community members as community scientists, teaching them about lead exposure and how to collect soil samples for testing.”
This victory builds on Isles’ broader commitment to addressing lead exposure through multiple programs. Isles’ Lead and Healthy Homes initiative provides free lead and healthy home assessments to Mercer County residents, along with healthy home kits and education about creating safer living environments. This comprehensive approach addresses both indoor and outdoor lead exposure—critically important work given that approximately 50% of children in Trenton Schools have blood lead levels that affect learning and behavior.
The NPL designation unlocks federal funding for long-term cleanup of contamination affecting homes, parks, and public spaces throughout the neighborhood. The EPA has already installed temporary soil covers at Ulysses S. Grant Intermediate School and completed similar measures at local parks, while providing free soil testing to residents.
This victory demonstrates how resident-led organizing can drive meaningful environmental change and protect community health for future generations.