Falls Church HS student launches a glass recycling business
For those who see the benefit of recycling but find it cumbersome to bring their glass bottles and jars to a county bin, Falls Church High School student Sam Ross has a solution.
Ross launched a business, called Glass Goat, that does it for you.
The company gives customers a blue bin to fill up with discarded glass containers. Ross and his colleagues collect the bins from the curb and drop off new bins every other week. They bring the glass to one of Fairfax County’s purple recycling centers.
The cost is $8.99 per pickup – regardless of the amount of glass. Customers receive a reminder 24 hours before a pickup and can skip a pickup for a free refund. New customers can sign up here.
Glass Goat currently has about a couple dozen customers, mostly in the Annandale area, Ross says. The company accepts residential and commercial customers anywhere in Fairfax County, Arlington, and Alexandria, and hopes to expand to other areas. So far, they have one commercial customer, the Casual Pint in Dunn Loring.
“We think it’s an important service and it’s fun to do,” Ross says. When he was thinking of starting a business, he decided “it had to be reliable, affordable, and simple.”
Ross, a resident of Camelot in Annandale, has always had an entrepreneurial mindset. When he was seven, he sold vegetables from his family’s garden door-to-door. When he was nine, he started mowing his neighbors’ lawns.
Last year, Ross Lawn Services had about 50 customers and employed 12 of his friends part-time.
When Ross learned Fairfax County no longer collects glass for recycling, he came up with the idea for a new business. “This venture not only offered a unique business opportunity but it also allowed me to create a service that contributes positively to people’s lives and the environment,” he says.
He decided to name the company Glass Goat because “animals make good logos and goats eat everything.”
There are glass recycling bins at several places, Wakefield Park and I think there’s one at the Mason district office in the back parking lot…free, and they really get filled up!!
But some people don’t have the time or ability to get to those places and would rather have curbside pickup like they have with their trash. Besides, why not help out a young entrepreneur if you can? I applaud this young man. He will go far.
We have used Sam’s services for leaf pickup and as soon as we met him it was clear that he and his crew were number 1. We have been using glass goat probably close to its inception. He is very responsive and professional and would give him a 6 out of 5 if possible. Thanks Sam.
Wonderful idea for a service that could be very important to older customers who can no longer drive.
Thank you for offering this service at a reasonable price.
I was using a purple dumpster at a Dunn Loring location. It disappeared unannounced and to my knowledge is no longer available.
HOAs would be a good source of business. Recycle bins accept glass but I have a hard time believing the glass doesn’t shatter.
Absolutely! I want this service to be available at a price that allows everyone to benefit from it. If you know any HOAs that would be interested, please have them reach out! I would love to service one in the future.
Thank you! Yes, this is just who I had in mind when creating it.
Good job Sam. You’ll go places in life.
Curious what Sam then does with the glass he collects. Where does it actually get recycled?
The answer is in the article.
Excuse, I have removed this message