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

WORCESTER, MA — Worcester city officials are examining ways to reduce litter created by tiny liquor bottles — typically called "nips" — but without an outright ban that could trigger a legal challenge from alcohol companies.

Health and Human Services Commissioner Matilde Castiel delivered recommendations to City Council this week on how the city can reduce nip litter. The report comes after City Council in June requested an assessment of the nip problem from City Manager Edward Augustus Jr.

Along with cigarette butts and potato chip bags, nip bottles are one of the most common forms of litter. The 50 and 100-milliliter plastic bottles can be found grouped together in bus shelters and along roadsides in Worcester and almost any town in the state.

Several cities have attempted to address the problem. Chelsea in 2018 became the first, and so far only, municipality in Massachusetts to ban the tiny bottles. Liquor store owners challenged the city's second ban affecting 100 milliliter bottles, which the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission rejected in May.

Attempts to ban nips in other towns, including Bourne, Randolph, Yarmouth, and Barnstable, all failed under pressure from the liquor industry, Castiel's memo says.

But Castiel's solutions are tailored to "not result in litigation for the city." Her suggestions include a litter awareness campaign focused on liquor stores, and partnering with liquor distributors on litter cleanup days. Castiel also suggests potentially limiting where and when nips can be sold, a method Boston uses in the downtown area.

Action at the state level, however, could come to Worcester's rescue. State Rep. Randy Hunt, R-Sandwich, reintroduced a proposal this year to include nips in the state bottle bill, creating a 5 cent per-nip incentive to recycle the bottles. The bill was referred to the House Ways and Means Committee in March, but no further action has been scheduled.

"Whether the issue is public health or public safety, small liquor bottles effect the quality of life of the residents of our city," Castiel's memo to City Council says. "The convenience factor of purchasing a small liquor bottle, consuming it while operating a vehicle and throwing it out of the window is a reality."