This Small Business Has a Big Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way people did many things; schools turned to online platforms, restaurants began to only serve takeout, and in-store shopping converted into an online shopping frenzy! In fact, according to the U.S Census Bureau, e-commerce sales increased by 43% in the year 2020. With online shopping completely taking over, for day-to-day items and big purchases, the buildup of cardboard boxes was also beginning to take over in many people’s homes. An Ohio newspaper, The Columbus Dispatch, detailed a striking 7% increase in cardboard use alone from the year 2020. For Ashton Gilbert, a twenty-one-year-old Tennessee man with autism, that increase was a business opportunity.

Fox News shared a story on Gilbert, where in early 2020 he noticed that picking up his neighbor's cardboard boxes was a necessity due to how many they had. His usual job and daily activities were on hold due to the pandemic. According to The New York Post, he desired to do something with his time and thought that the job of picking up and recycling cardboard would be perfect. The New York Post also mentioned that Gilbert realized that he didn’t have to stay within his neighborhood, and decided to branch out to multiple cities. He officially founded his small business, UnBoxed, in March of 2021. Gilbert stated to Fox News that he loves his company due to its environmental benefits and ability to help his community, but his absolute favorite part is the interaction that he was able to achieve with customers during such an otherwise isolated time. “It feels pretty good to be independent”, he mentioned to Fox News.

To date, UnBoxed serves two cities within Tennessee: Lebanon, and Mt. Juliet, and has recycled 40 tons of cardboard! Gilbert’s accomplishments have been revered by his family and his community, and they state that they have high hopes for what UnBoxed can continue to achieve in the future.