They contribute to drinking and driving, he says, but they also produce millions in state revenue annually and support jobs at a Lewiston distillery. By Kevin Miller, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story HALLOWELL — The LePage administration is asking Maine’s liquor commission to end sales of miniature “nips” bottles, a move that could Read More
Maine Bottle Bill
Maine’s Returnable Beverage Container Law, commonly referred to as “the Bottle Bill,” is the most successful waste and litter reduction law in our state’s history. With the help of NRCM in 1976, Maine became the third US state to enact a beverage container deposit program—after Oregon and Vermont. This smart policy went into effect in 1978 and successfully eliminated problematic roadside beverage container litter and resulted in Maine residents recycling an estimated 90 percent of the bottles and cans sold in the state.
LePage Uncorks Plan to End Sale of Nips in Maine
By Christopher Cousins, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story AUGUSTA, Maine — The state’s Liquor and Lottery Commission will consider ending the sale of 50-milliliter liquor bottles in Maine following a promise by Gov. Paul LePage to do so if the Legislature enacted a bill that adds the containers to Maine’s bottle redemption program. Read More
Maine Bottle Bill Expanded to Include “Nips”
In 1976, Maine Senator Edmund Muskie mobilized a staunch anti-littering sentiment that resulted in the passage of Maine’s biggest recycling success story, the Bottle Bill. Fast forward some four decades later and the bill is reaching new heights. In 2017, the House and Senate voted to override Governor LePage’s veto of a bill requiring a five-cent deposit on small liquor bottles—known widely as “nips”—to be added to the Bottle Bill. Roadside litter is Read More
NRCM Statement on Strong Bipartisan Vote to Add “Nips” Liquor Bottles to Maine’s Bottle Bill
Statement of Sarah Nichols, Sustainable Maine Director, Natural Resources Council of Maine “NRCM applauds Maine lawmakers for taking a strong, bipartisan stance against roadside litter and in support of Maine’s Bottle Bill by adding ‘nips’ to the redemption program. Today the Maine Senate voted to support adding nips to Maine’s Bottle Bill by a vote Read More
House Overrides LePage’s Veto of “Nips” Bottle-deposit Bill
If the Senate also agrees to override, the governor says he’ll end sales of the popular miniature bottles of liquor that often end up as litter. by Kevin Miller, staff writer Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA — House lawmakers voted Tuesday to override Gov. Paul LePage’s veto of a bill that would impose a Read More
As Promised, LePage Vetoes Bill to Impose Nickel Deposit on “Nips” Bottles
Now it’s up to the Legislature to decide on a veto override vote, which could lead LePage to simply ban the sale of the small liquor bottles in Maine. by Kevin Miller, staff writer Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage followed through on his pledge to veto a bill to impose Read More
LePage Vetoes Deposit Bill for Nips
By Steve Collins, Sun Journal AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage vetoed a measure to require a deposit for the tiny liquor bottles known as nips. In his veto message, the governor complained about the cost of the proposal but also offered an alternative way to address the littering problem created by the increasingly popular Read More
In Gov. LePage’s View, No One Has Right Answers but Him
His resistance to a legislative deal on ‘nips’ deposits is just the latest in a long list of policy stances shaped by his gripes and prejudices. Portland Press Herald editorial It should have been a story about how government and industry came together to quietly solve a problem through compromise. Instead, it became another example Read More
Lewiston Liquor Bottler Warns Ending “Nips” Sales Would Have “Drastic Impact” on Company
A letter from the Sazerac Co. CEO suggests Gov. LePage’s threat to end sales of 50-milliliter bottles – not a proposed 5-cent bottle deposit – would harm his company and the state. by Kevin Miller, staff writer Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA – The head of a Lewiston liquor bottler withdrew his support for Read More
