Is this the way to stem liquor bottle litter in Massachusetts?

Jan 20, 2024

"Nip" bottles of alcohol discarded along Lyman Street in Springfield. (Don Treeger / The Republican)

SPRINGFIELD — Communities across Massachusetts are considering bans on the sale of the smallest liquor bottles, seeking to combat litter. To the south, Connecticut went a different route.

That state's "nickle-per-nip" program collected $6.6 million in its first 18 months — returning that money to cities and towns.

In Massachusetts, the small containers are not covered by the Bottle Bill, though legislation has been proposed to expand that law to include them.

Meantime, communities across Massachusetts have been seeking their own solutions to what they see as downsides of the containers, including litter, impaired driving and, for some, loitering around liquor stores.

Edmund Coletta, spokesman for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, said several legislators have been working to expand the current bottle deposit law to include miniatures, known as "nips."

State Rep. Nicholas A. Boldyga, R-Southwick, supports the expansion of the 1982 state bottle bill to include miniature containers in the bottle redemption program. Now, the only alcoholic drinks covered are beer and malt beverages.

Communities are fighting to reduce litter. In Chicopee, a group of volunteers recently picked up more than 500 nip bottles from a road, seeking to ease blight.

Despite resistance from alcohol industry groups, Chicopee has considered banning the sale of nips. Mary-Beth Pniak-Costello, a city councilor, said she has been getting a mix of views from the public. Some people are for the ban, while others want added fees for purchase of the bottles. Others would like no change, she said.

Pniak-Costello said the council needs more information and is not rushing to find a solution.

Connecticut's answer

Connecticut's "nickel-per-nip" environmental stewardship program a places nickel surcharge on the sale of each 50-ml container at the point of sale. The program began in October 2021.

The program helps cities and towns in Connecticut and provides funding for the collection and proper disposal of 50-ml bottles.

The program was recommended by Three Tiers for Connecticut, a nonprofit that represents the alcohol beverage industry. It is covered by a law passed in 2021 by the General Assembly.

Lawrence F. Cafero Jr., president and treasurer of Three Tiers for Connecticut, and executive director of Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of Connecticut Inc., claims the program has become a national model.

"Nip" bottles of alcohol discarded along Lyman Street in Springfield. (Don Treeger / The Republican)

In May, checks amounting to $2.4 million were sent to municipalities across Connecticut. The money was gathered from fees collected on nips sales from October 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023.

The program is making a big difference, and is performing beyond expectations, Cafero said in a statement.

According to Cafero most litter from nips happen close to the point of purchase. The money shared with communities has been used to support recycling positions and to partner with local nonprofit organizations on litter cleanups.

Additionally, fees collected stay in the town they were collected, with no hidden charges, according to Cafero.

Ellen Zoppo-Sassu, Enfield's town manager, said the town has received approximately $70,000 from the program.

Previously, the city of Springfield considered banning the sale of nips and single beer cans at certain store locations, in an effort to reduce loitering.

There have been occasions when the city banned nips in certain locations, out of concern for trash and loitering, said Alesia H. Days, the city's director of licensing.

According to Days, bans were considered at neighborhood stores. Nips and single cans of beer are an economical choice for unhoused people, she said.

Ware says no

In the town of Ware, littering is the main reason an outright ban was considered. At town meeting in May, residents rejected a proposed ban on small bottles, after hearing arguments that enacting a ban would reduce alcohol sales.

In May 2022, residents of Nantucket OK’d a ban on single-use alcoholic beverages sold in containers of 100 millimeters or smaller. The vote was 496-73 in favor at the Nantucket annual town meeting.

The ban started as a citizen petition and gained traction among residents and businesses that want to reduce litter on the island.

The communities of Quincy, Chelsea, Falmouth, Mashpee, Newtown and Wareham have similar bans, as do Oak Bluffs and Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard. Officials in Boston are considering a ban.

In Rhode Island, after a ban failed to pass, a bottle-refund program is being proposed that would place a 10-cent charge on the miniature bottles.

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