A London teenager who got the third degree for picking through blue boxes to help save up for his education has received an outpouring of community support, his mother says.
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For more than three years, 14-year-old Brise Refflinghaus, who has autism, has scoured the curbside collection bins in his east London neighborhood on recycling day, picking out beer cans and liquor bottles to redeem the deposit charged on those containers.
His rounds – technically illegal under a city bylaw, but not considered a big deal if no mess is left behind – provoked an angry backlash from some people, including other blue-box gleaners, about which The Free Press wrote a story last month.
Since then, Londoners have been contacting the boy’s mother, Ashley Refflinghaus, to offer help. The teenager received $1,000 from a CIBC banker and bags filled with cans and bottles from neighbors after they heard about his work, which he’s said brings in about $180 to $200 a week.
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“I think it’s pretty cool to get the donations,” said the Sir Wilfrid Laurier secondary school student, who’d just returned from one of his collection rounds. “A lot of people are coming out to bring containers to me, but I’m just saving the money for the time being.”
Refflinghaus said her son wants to contribute to his future, and while saving for his education he’s also bought a used aluminum fishing boat and a motor.
“It makes me feel a lot more positive (about his future). He’s accomplishing something and enjoying it,” she said.
Refflinghaus said her son is on the autism spectrum but is high-functioning. Autism spectrum disorder, whose symptoms and severity can vary widely, is a developmental condition that can affect social interaction and communication with others and may be marked by repetitive types of behavior.
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This summer, the 14-year-old hopes to get a wagon for his collection rounds instead of riding his bike with a bag slung over his shoulder.
Refflinghaus said her son hasn’t run into any blow-back about his blue-box mining lately, but some negative comments have surfaced including that the cans should be donated to benefit the homeless.
“I don’t think anybody needs anything more than anybody else,” she said. “I think we’re all equal, and he’s willing to work for it.”
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