Feedback Earth, the Grafton food recycling company that exited the state in September after years of battling odor issues with its neighbors, will pay up to a $250,000 settlement to resolve allegations brought by Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell.
The agreement stems from allegations of violations of the Massachusetts Clean Air Act and the Massachusetts Solid Waste Disposal Act for installing unauthorized machinery, processing unapproved feedstocks, and emitting pungent odors impacting residents as far as 4.4 miles away, according to a Tuesday press release from Campbell’s office.
The two sides reached the deal and filed the settlement with Suffolk County Superior Court on Dec. 17.
Officials from Feedback Earth could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.
Feedback Earth can avoid paying $30,000 of the fine after two years if the company surrenders all of its outstanding operating permits, along with complying with Massachusetts environmental laws. In September, the company sold its Grafton site for $4 million, ahead of plans to set up operations in a different, undisclosed state.
The Massachusetts Environmental Justice fund will receive $110,000 of the settlement, to support projects addressing environmental harms in disadvantaged communities.
“Communities should not have to suffer the consequences of businesses prioritizing profits over compliance with our reasonable environmental laws and regulations,” Campbell said in the press release. “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.”
Brad Kane is editor of the Worcester Business Journal.
