by Mal Leary Maine Public news story Grocers and others in the food and beverage industry are supporting a proposal to reduce the deposit rate on liquor bottles in Maine from 15 cents to five. This change would match the nickel deposit implemented last year on small containers of liquor commonly called “nips.” Supporters of 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.
Opposition to LD 1703, An Act to Create Equity for Wine and Spirit Container Deposits
Senator Saviello, Representative Tucker, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, my name is Sarah Lakeman and I am the Sustainable Maine Project Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine. I appreciate this opportunity to testify in opposition to LD 1703. NRCM has had a long history working to Read More
Lawmaker to Propose Bill Reducing All Liquor Bottle Deposits from 15 to 5 Cents
by Mal Leary Maine Public news story Advocates of Maine’s 40-year-old bottle deposit law are concerned about a proposal to lower the deposit on liquor bottles from 15 cents down to five cents. The lawmaker behind the bill says she’s simply trying to make the state law more consistent and fair. Earlier this year the Read More
Meet Dwight Gagnon: NRCM Member and Artist of This Year’s Common Ground Country Fair Poster
One of the favorite parts of my job is attending events hosted by the Natural Resources Council of Maine or other events in which NRCM participates, like our annual table at the Common Ground Country Fair in Unity, coming up in September. I get to meet members and supporters in a variety of settings to Read More
Gov. LePage Forges Ahead with Bid to Stop Lucrative Sales of “Nips” Liquor Bottles
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
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
