Through his cardboard box company, a young entrepreneur in Tennessee is significantly improving both his community and the environment.
Amidst the coronavirus outbreak, autistic twenty-one-year-old Ashton Gilbert launched his own cardboard recycling company, UnBoxed.
Beginning in early 2020, when online shopping became a necessity rather than just a nice thing to do, both Gilbert and his mother, Ashley York, revealed in an interview with Fox News Digital that they had come to the realization that there was a ton of cardboard that needed to be picked up around the neighborhood.
Since Gilbert’s employment and activity services were on hold, York said her son “really needed something to do” with his time.
“I have a small business and I was always yelling at my husband about taking my cardboard boxes to recycling,” said York.
“And he was like, ‘Hey, this is something Ashton could do.’”
“We thought it’d be a pretty simple little job for him to do, but it’s a little bit bigger than that now.”
Gilbert officially founded UnBoxed in March 2021. To date, he’s recycled 40 tons of cardboard.
The small business owner said that although launching his business has been “a little stressful at times,” it’s also felt “pretty good.”
According to Gilbert, the aspects of his profession that he enjoys the most include “interacting with consumers,” “helping the environment,” and “giving back to the community.”
For community gardening and last-minute moves, some of the cardboard gathered is donated.
York said that she had no idea what her son will accomplish while coping with autism as well as other cognitive and psychological difficulties.
We had no idea how his future would pan out, she said.
In addition to being a business owner, York noted that her kid now lives independently, a feat she did not believe feasible five years ago.
Being autonomous feels “quite wonderful,” according to Gilbert.
According to York, the neighborhood has been “wonderful,” and the locals have “cheered Ashton on and supported him.”
She said, “Those who don’t require his service help spread the news about his service.”
Even firms donated routing systems to us so that I could plan my route from one place to another as efficiently as possible.
“Our community should be tremendously proud of ourselves for that,” the speaker said.
Gilbert’s parents presently transport their son around his rounds in a “very old van” devoid of air conditioning, which is taxing labor on hot days in Tennessee.
UnBoxed presently provides pickups every other week for $20 per residence in Lebanon and Mt. Juliet, two of the cities it currently services.
Additionally, the company provides box breakdown services. When boxes are collected from neighborhood small businesses, it becomes a commercial route.
With some businesses, said York, “we pick up about 700 pounds of cardboard at a time from them.”
UnBoxed’s pricing can vary based on the amount of cardboard and the mileage, especially since gas prices have put a damper on travel-dependent business.
“We’re very happy that [the gas prices are] starting to come back down,” York said.
The mother-son team has great expectations for UnBoxed’s future.
These ideas first call for getting a brand-new vehicle with business insurance and a driver.
We would also like to hire those who have special talents but are having trouble finding fulfilling work, she added.
“We intend to significantly grow,”
York encouraged other parents and individuals living with autism “not to give up” if they aspire to entrepreneurship in one way or another.
Source of information Foxnews