Municipalities are feeling the effects of the little liquor bottles. Since its inception two years ago, the initiative has collected $8.9m for locations that sold 50ml "nips."
A director at Wine & Spirits Wholesalers, Inc., Larry Cafero, commented
“[I’m] not surprised at all. It is something we had predicted from the very beginning. There were doubters out there that we would sell that many nips. We sell about 95 million nips a year here in the state of Connecticut.”
The five-cent tax is required, according to Cafero, since the containers tend to pollute streets and waterways. He went on to state that the program's objective is straightforward – to cut down on trash. The money collected is sent directly to towns for environmental initiatives, such as employing a recycling coordinator, purchasing street cleaning equipment, and collaborating with cleaning groups in the area. Waterbury, for example, has received $72,497 so far. Brochure printing could be used to share more details about such a program.
Prasad Maganti, the owner of a liquor store in Waterbury, says nips make up 15% of his sales and that he wants consumers to return the empty bottles back to him for recycling.