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Millbrae Leo's leaders press council to allow community plastic drop-off for idle baler
Summary
Student volunteers and project leaders from the Millbrae Leos Club urged the council to allow community plastic drop-off sites so their donated industrial baler can be used to convert stretch film into park benches and other materials; speakers said the baler has sat idle for months while negotiations continue over bin placement.
Millbrae — Dozens of Millbrae high-school students and Leos Club volunteers told the City Council on Tuesday that a plastic baler purchased and donated to the city by the Millbrae Leos Club has been sitting idle for months because the community lacks an accessible drop-off site for stretch film plastic.
Leos members and project leaders described a multi-year recycling effort that has kept thousands of pounds of stretched-film plastic out of landfills and converted it into benches and other products. The club raised about $26,000 to buy an industrial baler and paid for its installation; the baler was purchased in March and first put into community service in May, according to speakers. But they said the baler has been underused because there is no staffed, secure public collection point for residents to drop off material.
“We kept over 14,000 pounds of this plastic,” volunteer and longtime organizer Michael Kelly told the council, summarizing the club’s work and fundraising. Kelly and other speakers asked the council and city staff to designate a stable drop-off location near the recreation center, to provide locking-lidded bins and basic oversight to prevent illegal dumping, and to allow the club’s volunteers to attend and manage collections.
Leos members said the baler and collection system are already coordinated with the local hauler (Sunset/South San Francisco Scavenger) and that the club’s volunteers have experience sorting material and preventing contamination. Several Leos leaders told the council they had completed outreach and training and that the project generates both environmental benefit and funds returned to local service projects.
City response and next steps
City staff said they have been negotiating logistics with the hauler and are aware of concerns about potential illegal dumping and site security; city manager Tom Williams and staff said they would continue working with the Leos and recommended a formalized plan for bin placement and attendant staffing. In public remarks the Leos asked that a public drop-off location be approved that would include locked bins and attendant supervision for limited hours.
No formal council action was recorded on the baler during the meeting. City staff said they would continue working with the Leos and South San Francisco Scavenger on a secure location and signage and would provide follow-up to the club and council after concluding those operational discussions.
Topics: recycling, youth-service, public-works
Speakers: Michael Kelly (Millbrae Leos volunteer lead), Kyle Van Hook (Millbrae Leos project director), Matthew Lee (Millbrae Leos project director), Enrique Zhang (Millbrae Leos director), Samantha Nguyen (Millbrae Leos board member), City Manager Tom Williams (City of Millbrae).
