Two weeks after the Edgartown select board expressed their interest in proposing a townwide ban on the sale of nip bottles (alcohol containers bottles under 100mL), a request from a local retailer to support increasing deposits on bottle redemptions was also considered.
Brion McGroarty, owner of MV Wine and Spirits, asked the select board to consider engaging with state lawmakers with the goal of updating a decades-old bottle bill. He said while in support of the proposed nip ban, he’d ask the state legislature to come to grips with the fact that the 40-year-old bottle bill hasn’t kept up with inflation.
McGroarty referred to a statewide bottle bill that was implemented in 1983, and has offered return rates of five cents for eligible bottles ever since.
Last year, a “better bottle bill” was filed by state Rep. Marjorie Decker (D-Middlesex) and state Sen. Cindy Creem (D-Newton), and proposed a five cent increase, bringing returns to 10 cents.
McGroarty argued that the increase was not enough.
Officially the Beverage Container Recovery Law, redeemable containers in the law include glass, plastic, metal, aluminum, and bi-metal containers holding beer and other malt beverages, carbonated soft drinks, and mineral waters.
Wine, dairy products, natural fruit juices, uncarbonated drinks, and alcoholic beverages other than beer and malt beverages are exempt from that law, as are containers holding more than two gallons of liquid.
According to a 2021 report by the Container Recycling Institute, only 38 percent of containers eligible for redemption in Massachusetts were actually redeemed. Out of the 10 states that have implemented container deposit legislation, Massachusetts has the lowest redemption rate.
“The core of the problem here is economic,” McGroarty said. “Forty years ago, a nickel was worth something.” He noted that the five cent deposit in 1983 would now be tripled due to inflation.
“If we put actual value on every container of beverage in Massachusetts, people would redeem them,” McGroarty said. “They wouldn’t be throwing them on the side of the road … [currently] there’s no value to the stuff being thrown on the street.”
He suggested the town pursue a 25 cent deposit on every liquid container. Entities responsible for redemption services have the wherewithal to do that, he said: “They just need to be forced to do it.”
Select board member Arthur Smadbeck liked McGroarty’s suggestion. He recommended that the board send a letter to state reps that would outline both the proposed local nip ban and increasing the deposit on bottle redemption.
In an update Wednesday, town administrator James Hagerty told The Times that Edgartown and Oak Bluffs have been working together to finalize the language of the proposed nip bylaw, which will be taken on by voters at both town meetings.