reCollect2 Fights Human Trafficking With Launch of New Recycling, Waste Receptacle Initiative

NORTH LAKE, WIS. – Thousands of hotel rooms and corporate offices across the U.S. use the distinctive design of reCollect2 Company’s in-room recycling receptacles to keep their premises clean, and to strive toward achieving sustainability goals.

A new initiative from reCollect2 invites its customers to join the fight against human trafficking, a vile practice that traps tens of thousands of people – many children – in sexual and labor slavery.

The sleek, side-by-side recycling and waste bins from reCollect2 are newly offered with the text number for the National Human Trafficking Hotline*, a 24/7 service that offers aid to trafficking victims and a tip line for reporting information. Text is the fastest-growing means of electronic communication and, in 2019, comprised 17 percent of trafficking-related contacts to the hotline. The bins identify the hotline number in English and Spanish.

“Human trafficking has been reported in every county in Wisconsin, in every state across the U.S., and around the world,” said Ann Riphenburg, owner of reCollect2 Company. “People are caught in it for a variety of reasons, and don’t know how to get out. The National Human Trafficking Hotline is a start. The hope is to increase awareness of the hotline and help anyone who may need it, in as many places as possible.”

reCollect2 has sold more than 100,000 units of its original three-piece product, manufactured in Sussex, Wis., since the company’s founding in 2010. Dual bins – one waste, one recycling – sit in a stable plastic base. The design’s clean, cohesive silhouette complements today’s eco-inspired spaces.

The product’s low profile and ease of use are ideal for hotel guest rooms. These same places, however, are frequent conduits for human trafficking, as victims are shuttled far from their homes to places where they are helpless and alone.

Despite its prevalence, human trafficking usually goes unnoticed, especially with COVID-19 reducing interaction at hotels and increasing anonymity of those around us. The new reCollect2 product feature aims to provide victims a lifeline to seek help, and assist witnesses who suspect trafficking is occurring nearby, yet aren’t sure what to do.

“This is a number everyone should know, and It’s time for us to elevate our fight against human trafficking,” Riphenburg said. “The hospitality industry is making a concerted effort to shed light on this dark practice, and educate its workers to watch for signs of victimization. Displaying the text number reinforces this by making the anti-trafficking hotline accessible to victims, and to those who might be suspicious of what’s happening around them.”

Just as reCollect2’s customers prominently display their environmental sustainability messages, Riphenburg said, they can now display their social sustainability commitments – including combatting trafficking. The new reCollect2 product provides a permanent, highly-visible message.

Human trafficking is a $150 billion global business, according to Forbes. The United Nations estimates that 20 percent of victims are children.

Riphenburg, a mother of two, became aware of human trafficking six years ago after watching a documentary on its global scope. The stories troubled her – more so, they spurred her to action to learn more, raise awareness and support organizations fighting the problem.

Most recently, reCollect2 began sponsoring a podcast, Life Empowered, produced by the Redeem & Restore Center, a Pewaukee, Wis. organization fighting human trafficking. The podcast features stories of redemption, encouragement and inspiration.

reCollect2 Company is a family-operated business based in North Lake, Wis., 30 minutes west of Milwaukee. Focused on helping organizations achieve their recycling and sustainability goals, it supplies the reCollect2 recycling receptacle, which is manufactured in the USA and found in hotel guest rooms and commercial offices throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe. More information is available at www.reCollect2recycler.com.
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*reCollect2 is not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with the National Human Trafficking Hotline, or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates.