POTTSVILLE -- Two high school students from Schuylkill County are kick-starting a composting business and they plan to pitch the business plan to local investors.
Yang Heppe, 15, is a ninth grader by day, but by trade he's a businessman.
"On average of six weeks a compost should be finished. Then we're going to sell it in 10-pound bags for $15," Yang Heppe said.
The Gillingham Charter School student is one of the brains behind PayDirt, a business that uses compost from food scraps and coffee grounds to make an eco-friendly fertilizer alternative.
"Half of Schuylkill County's water goes to the Chesapeake Bay which is pretty polluted. The cause of pollution is runoff from fertilizer, so that is one of my goals, to help change the environment for the better," Heppe said.
It wouldn't be a business without a business partner.
Alex Albertini, 15, is the company's CEO. He goes to Pottsville High School.
"As a teenager I feel that it's a good idea to increase your opportunities that you can have later. So I knew that if I do this I could have the experience later on," Albertini said.
There are already three businesses in Schuylkill County helping out by collecting food scraps. One of those businesses is The Park Restaurant in Shenandoah.
Peter Pavlovski, the owner of The Park Restaurant on East Washington Street, says they go through a lot of food. He doesn't mind saving the scraps for a good cause.
"The ultimate goal for both of us I believe is to gain experience about business. But it is about profit in the end, too, but also making a difference if we can, trying to make people go green," Albertini said.
The two teens are hoping a local investor will pitch in the $400 needed for the start-up costs of the business.