Former Grafton Company To Pay $250K Settlement To State: AGO

GRAFTON, MA — A former Grafton-based company will pay a large settlement to the state, according to Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell.

Feedback Earth, Inc., a food-waste recycling company, will pay up to $250,000 in penalties to the state, the AG's office announced on Tuesday. The company was accused of violating the Massachusetts Clean Air Act and the Massachusetts Solid Waste Disposal Act by installing unauthorized machinery, producing unapproved feedstocks, and emitting odors that affected residents, according to the AG's office.

Patch previously reported on the company's odor shortly after it opened its Grafton facility on Creeper Hill Road in 2021. At the time, company officials said they had been made aware that the use of tofu in their production operations was causing the odor, according to reports.

RELATED: Tofu Creates 'Unfortunate Smell' Behind Grafton Mystery Stench

The AG's office said that some residents claimed the company made it difficult to report odor violations, "by changing the number of the complaint reporting hotline, encouraging residents to make reports outside of the MassDEP-mandated hotline, and making unannounced visits to complainants’ homes."

The AG's office secured a preliminary injunction against the company in October 2024, which halted many of its "illegal practices" at the Grafton facility.

Feedback Earth ultimately shut down its operation in Grafton. The company sold the property for $4.04 million earlier this year, according to a report from the Worcester Business Journal.

Of the $250,000 in settlement funds, $110,000 is expected to go toward the Massachusetts Environmental Justice Fund, the AG's office said.

“Communities should not have to suffer the consequences of businesses prioritizing profits over compliance with our reasonable environmental laws and regulations,” said AG Campbell. “This settlement holds Feedback Earth accountable for harming our residents and puts other companies on notice that we will not tolerate business practices that threaten people’s right to breathe fresh air.”

SEE ALSO:

• Former MA State Senator Pleads Guilty To Obstruction Of Justice, False Statements
• Dominican Man Living In Worcester Indicted For Fraud, Identity Theft
  
• Leading Worcester Law Firm Announces Merger With Boutique Boston Firm