By Cathy Durant –
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell announced that the Suffolk County Superior Court has entered and approved a consent judgment against Feedback Earth, Inc., a Grafton-based for-profit food-waste recycling company, resolving allegations that the company violated state environmental laws by installing unauthorized machinery, processing unapproved feedstocks, and emitting foul odors that affected nearby residents.
Under the agreement, Feedback Earth will pay up to $250,000 in penalties to the Commonwealth. Up to $30,000 of that amount may be suspended for two years, contingent on the company’s full compliance with the settlement terms, Massachusetts environmental laws, and the surrender of all outstanding operating permits. Of the settlement funds, $110,000 will be deposited into the Massachusetts Environmental Justice Fund, which supports projects addressing environmental harms in disadvantaged communities across the state.
“Communities should not have to suffer the consequences of businesses prioritizing profits over compliance with our reasonable environmental laws and regulations,” Attorney General Campbell said. “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.”
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bonnie Heiple praised the outcome, saying, “Clean air is a fundamental right and today, the residents in Grafton can breathe a little easier. Thank you to AG Campbell and her terrific team for collaborating with us to uphold the critical environmental protections that prevent polluters from contaminating our air and harming our health. MassDEP is committed to ensuring everyone has equitable access to clean air.”
The consent judgment, entered on December 17, 2025, follows a lawsuit filed by the Attorney General’s Office alleging that Feedback Earth emitted noxious odors while operating a facility that processed food waste into animal feed. According to the complaint, residents in multiple surrounding communities reported odors so severe that people living as far as 4.4 miles from the site were forced to remain indoors and keep their windows closed.
State officials attributed the odor issues in part to repeated environmental permit violations and unsanitary conditions at the facility, despite ongoing enforcement actions by MassDEP. Residents also reported difficulties in submitting odor complaints, alleging that the company changed its reporting hotline number, encouraged complaints outside the MassDEP-mandated system, and made unannounced visits to the homes of complainants.
The Attorney General’s Office previously secured a preliminary injunction on October 24, 2024, halting many of the company’s operations at the Grafton facility. Since that time, Feedback Earth has decided to permanently cease operations.
The case was handled by Assistant Attorneys General Zeus Smith and Jillian Riley of the Environmental Protection Division, with assistance from Environmental Analysts Randa Kallin and Michael Penny, Section Chief Thomas Hannah, and Deputy Regional Director John Volkerding of MassDEP’s Central Regional Office, along with Anne Blackman and Rebecca Gobeil from MassDEP’s Office of General Counsel.