A food waste company is causing a stink in Grafton, Massachusetts — literally. Some people in town say they've been upset about a stench in the neighborhood for years, but those complaints are getting louder. "It smelled as if something had died right outside my car.
It was a smell of rotten seafood like you can't even imagine. It was horrible," said resident Alison Wilson. The Feedback Earth plant takes food waste and turns it into animal feed.
Residents say the resulting smell is like a Dumpster. "Rotting lobster corpses. That's what's wafting through the air as we try to have a barbecue with our six kids outside on a beautiful New England day," said resident Jessie Remillard.
Families are furious, and the plant's owner knows it. "I don't think it's unreasonable point of like, you know, credibility, whether it's the competency, like, 'Do we actually have the ability to fix this?' is one question. And then there's also the, you know, 'Are you telling us the truth?'" said Feedback Earth owner Alison Greenlee.
"As the summer months came through and there was more decaying material, more spoiled material, we realized it was deficient," said Feedback Earth Chief of Staff David Jenicek. Residents meeting for a question and answer session with the plant owner said they worry about devalued property and their health. "I want to see this stop," Remillard said.
The plant admits setbacks and promises improvements. "The smell of decay is not pleasant," Jenicek said. The company said its deodorizer system was overwhelmed this summer.
"The equipment that we're installing basically amplifies that system and doubles and triples our ability to deodorize it," Greenlee said. In a statement, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Ed Coletta said the department is aware of the concerns raised by Grafton residents. "MassDEP is aware of the concerns raised by residents regarding Feedback Earth and is actively working to ensure that air quality in the surrounding communities is not further impacted.
We are in conversations with the Attorney General's Office on this situation and are committed to protecting the public health and the environment while addressing this matter," the statement said..
