Starting From Scratch: Organic Composting Business Opens in Aberdeen

Combining the marketing trends of “going green” and “going local,” a start-up Aberdeen business is looking to stimulate interest in organic compost that can be used for indoor plants, backyard gardens and large scale commercial projects.

The business—Veteran Compost—is the brainchild of Justen Garrity, a 28-year-old Iraq war veteran who has launched the venture from a 30-acre farm on Bush Chapel Road. Garrity uses the farmstead to combine the raw materials to create the organic compost, and as a makeshift outlet for sales and marketing.

The key to making the project work is the ready availability of low-cost raw materials, Garrity said during a recent visit to the farm.

Indeed, tons of bagged leaves are currently stockpiled on the site, provided for free by the city of Aberdeen. Horse manure from nearby farms is plentiful, he said. And food waste—the richest source of nutrients for the compost—comes from local restaurants, which pay Garrity to haul the stuff away.

Like a chef making a stew, Garrity then combines these ingredients in the right proportions and begins a slow cooking process. But unlike a backyard compost pile, which takes a long time to convert the raw material to usable compost, Garrity speeds up the process by injecting air into the pile. With this method, 20 tons of waste material and manure are converted to ready-to-use compost in just 60 days, he said.

The process is entirely organic, using no industrial chemicals or unhealthy additives, he said. Although his products are not certified organic as some food products are, the reason is simply a question of the cost of certification, not of the integrity of the process itself, Garrity said.

“I think people really are interested in the idea of products that are green, and that are locally produced,” Garrity said.  “It’s important that we embrace the concept of sustainability, both on the scale of the international economy and at the local level.”

Garrity didn’t come quickly or easily to the role of green entrepreneur. A native of Howard County, he served in the U.S. Army from 2004 to 2009 (and remains in the reserves today). In the Army, he specialized in counter-explosives, with tours of duty in both Korea and Iraq. There is little or no concern about green issues in the war zone, he said.

Upon returning to civilian life, it was almost impossible to find a decent job, Garrity said, which led him to think about starting his own business. He did have a long-standing interest in renewable energy and recycling, so he began examining different business opportunities in green industries.

“I looked at industries like solar power, biodiesel fuels and electronics recycling, but found that these are pretty well developed businesses where you need a lot of capital if you want to get into them,” Garrity said. “Composting, on the other hand, has a lot of room for growth and does not require a big capital investment.”

Garrity said he quickly learned that the composting business is not welcomed in many places but that Harford County was especially friendly to new businesses of this kind. 

“Right after we got started, we had some people from the zoning board come out to look around. But they were very good and very supportive when they understood what exactly we’re doing here,” Garrity said.

As a start-up business, Veteran Compost is not yet in the black, Garrity said. He said he hopes to improve the bottom line by finding additional sales outlets such as farmers markets and green-friendly stores. He is also scouting customers for larger volume sales with construction companies and contractors.

Currently, most sales are handled at the farm or at the Coffee Coffee gourmet shop in Bel Air.  Garrity said he welcomes any of the residents of Aberdeen to stop by the site, located at 328 Bush Chapel Road, to view the operations or buy some of the products.