'Nips' Ban In Boston? Councilors Will Consider It

BOSTON, MA — The Boston City Council will consider a proposal a ban on single-serve liquor bottles, WHDH Boston reported. Boston would join several other municipalities, including Chelsea, Mashpee, and Newton, in banning the miniature bottles often referred to as "nips."

Councilor Ricardo Arroyo said nips are too small to be recycled and are prone to become litter, according to WHDH. Nips are one of the most common forms of litter found along roadsides in many towns across the state.

Liquor store owners have previously challenged bans of the 100-milliliter bottles with some success. Worcester city officials looked at reducing litter from nips without using an outright ban in 2020.

Newton's ban went into effect in June. The city's Licensing Commission passed a nips ban in 2021 that prohibited "the sale of miniature, single-use containers for alcoholic beverages in containers less than or equal to 100 milliliters."

Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller told state lawmakers in a 2021 hearing that the nips bottles were a major problem. She said the littered bottles were "everywhere" in Newton — along the Charles River, scattered throughout green spaces, and littering village centers.

The state has explored creating a 5-cent-per-nip incentive to recycle bottles. However, the state's Department of Environmental Protection said that the bottles are too small to recycle, according to CBS Boston.

See related: Worcester Looks To Tame 'Nips' Problem, But Not Ban Them

Newton's Ban On Nips Now In Effect: What To Know

Newton Mayor: Nips Bottles Are Everywhere