Plastic Bottles for Babies Totals More than 10,000

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Francesca Chase celebrated the collection of more than 10,000 plastic bottles from Pacific Palisades.

Francesca Chase, the Bottles for Babies founder, hosted a celebration on January 10 to commemorate the collection of more than 10,000 plastic bottles that were recycled from Pacific Palisades. The CRV money was used to buy baby food and diapers for the Westside Food Bank and St. Joseph’s Center.

Cake and champagne were served at sunset at the Via de las Olas bluffs park. “Watching a beautiful sunset with the community is a reminder of just how beautiful Pacific Palisades is and why we recycle in the first place,” Chase said.

“We had a really nice turn-out, with special thanks to Fire Station 69 for taking the time to attend,” she said. “They have committed to having donation boxes at Station 69 on Open House/Service Day and on the Fourth of July.”

“I started Bottles for Babies when I learned that there are about 2,000 babies in urgent need of food and diapers and I knew I had to do something,” Chase told Circling the News in an earlier story. “I know what it is like to struggle as a single parent and have a baby depending on you.”

A long-time resident, Chase launched the program last July 4 by donating 600 plastic water bottles to parade goers and then recycling them.

“My goals include not only feeding the babies but to educate the community about recycling,” Chase said. “I call this my passion project.”

The former schoolteacher and now Keller Williams realtor said, “I do most of the work myself with a few friends. I maintain/collect/store the bottles and take them to a recycle center in Burbank (Santa Monica closed this summer).”

During the summer and fall, she had boxes at six locations. This winter, with the rain, it became problematic to keep cardboard boxes on the curb.

Instead, if anyone is having a special church, school or social event, Chase will come and recycle their plastic bottles (visit: bottles4babies.org).

This spring/summer, Chase plans to put the boxes back at the different locations.

The City of Los Angeles does not recycle plastic bottles from street trash, the Pacific Palisades Baseball Association does not recycle plastic bottles at the park and even the Palisades Business Improvement District, which cleans up trash on some streets, does not support bottle recycling.

“Our goal for 2020 is to collect 20,000 bottles,” Chase said.

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