By Larry Cafero, Three Tiers for Connecticut

Connecticut’s “nickel-per-nip” environmental stewardship program is helping clean up Connecticut, according to reports pouring in from all over the state on how cities and towns are spending the money generated by the sale of the 50ml “nip” containers of alcohol in their communities.

Upon the $2.36 million being sent to cities and towns at the end of October, the two-year-old program has now generated $8.9 million for Connecticut municipalities that sell nips. Under the state law, proposed by Three Tiers for Connecticut and passed in 2021, a nickel surcharge is placed on the sale of each nip container at the point of sale. Every April and October each municipality receives five cents for each nip sold within its borders during the preceding six months.

“In just two years, this groundbreaking program has generated $8.9 million in litter-reduction funding that goes directly to cities and towns that sell nips,” said Lawrence “Larry” F. Cafero, Jr., President and Treasurer of Three Tiers for Connecticut and Executive Director of Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of Connecticut, Inc. “After two years, we thought it was time to take stock in how those nickels are being put to work.

Local impact, national model

“Studies show that most litter from nips happens very close to where the containers are purchased,” Cafero explained. “In just two years, this local solution has become a national model.”

“The beauty of this program is in its simplicity and direct-to-town approach, and we’re happy to see what they’re doing,” Cafero explained. “Local governments know what they need best, and this program devotes the fees collected in each town stay in that town, with no hidden handling charges or ‘sweeps’ of money into the state budget. Cafero noted that his organization sent a survey to the cities and towns with the latest round of checks, and that more than 50 have reported in to date.

“South Windsor, Ellington and Ridgefield are using the funding to help pay for recycling coordinators, Newtown, Shelton and a half-dozen other towns are using the money for litter collection and cleanups with local non-profits, Glastonbury and Killingworth are supporting food scrap recycling programs and Bridgeport, East Haven, Farmington, Glastonbury, Hampton, Morris, Simsbury Southington and Watertown have told us they’re putting their nickels toward the purchase or lease of street sweepers,” Cafero said. “Some of the smaller towns have set the funds aside to accumulate and they can determine what to do to keep their roadsides, waterways and public spaces litter-free.”

BY THE NUMBERS: This table is a representative sample of local town payments. Click for a complete list of payments for every Connecticut municipality.

 About Three Tiers for Connecticut
Three Tiers for Connecticut was formed in 2019 and is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization representing all of the major wine and spirits wholesalers in Connecticut, as well as suppliers and retailers, thereby being representative of all three tiers of the alcohol beverage industry. Keep up with Three Tiers for Connecticut by following its “Don’t Trash CT” campaign on Facebook.