Frequently
Asked
Questions

Whose idea is this, anyway?

Douglass Park (South Arlington) parent Sean Steele thought up the idea when he was pulling an armload of glass bottles out of the trash (to recycle) while fielding questions from his budding 9-year-old entrepreneur son (for the millionth time) about what he could do to “make some money around here?" and BLAM-O! Douglass Park Glass Company was born!

Is this an educational venture?

Absolutely! With the pandemic raging and school months (years?) away, we plan to spend time learning website design, basic accounting, and concepts like “revenue”, “expenses”, “income”, “marketing”, “customer satisfaction”, and “hey get out of bed, it’s time to pick up the glass!” Sean learned this stuff as a co-founder and managing partner at Arlington-based Infolock, a 15-year-old, 40-employee data security consulting firm located in Shirlington Village.

Where does the money go?

To the handful of elementary-aged schoolkids who do (most of) the work. Predictably, they want to save some, and spend some. A portion of it goes to pay fixed and variable expenses: subscriptions to Google G-Suite (email and storage space), Squarespace (website hosting), Stripe (CC processing), as well as masks & gloves, promotional t-shirts and bumper stickers, a big “catch-all” recycling bin, gas, and miscellaneous wear-and-tear on our old, beat-up Ford pickup truck.

Do you service anywhere outside Douglass Park?

Not yet, but if you’re interested please drop us a line!

What’s the deal with “Douglass Park”? Shouldn’t it be spelled “Douglas Park”?!

Well, we don’t think so. It’s a long story, and there’s quite a bit of debate - and differing opinions - but part of the modern neighborhood of “Douglas Park” was very clearly, originally named after Frederick Douglass. We choose to celebrate the famed abolitionist, civil rights hero, orator, writer, and freed slave who visited present-day South Arlington in the mid-1860s. Black Lives Matter: then, now, and in the future.

Can I just buy some merch?

Soon! We’ll be selling t-shirts and bumper stickers on the website and if you’d like to find out when they’re available, please drop us a line!

Can I recycle glass bulbs, thermometers, flat screen TVs or monitors, broken windows, or dirty glass bottles?

Let’s see: no, no, no, no, and no. Only clean, dry, intact glass bottles and jars can be recycled. You may leave the labels, lids, and tops on though! More information is available in this super informative video that features “Big Blue” (the Fairfax County glass crusher our recycling goes into)!