ecoRI News — Save The Bay Focused On Nips, Trees and Access This Year

Protecting and expanding public access to the Ocean State’s shoreline is a top priority of Save The Bay during this legislative session. (Joanna Detz/ecoRI News)

Mar 11, 2023

By Frank Carini / ecoRI News Staff — Now that the Rhode Island General Assembly has found its 2023 legislative groove, Save The Bay has begun advocating for what it says is an “ambitious policy agenda.”

The Providence-based nonprofit, which is “dedicated to protecting and improving Narragansett Bay and all the waters that flow into it,” is focused on saving trees, reforming the state’s coastal resources authority, and protecting public access.

The organization also supports passage of the Beverage Container Deposit Recycling Act of 2023 (H5502). The legislation, introduced by Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee, D-South Kingstown, is modeled on other New England state programs that Save The Bay says “have achieved major litter reduction by placing a deposit fee on beverage containers, including alcohol ‘nips’ that are being littered in increasing numbers.”

The bill would give a 10-cent refund for returned containers “not less than 50 milliliters nor greater than 3 liters.” A nip is about 1.7 ounces, or 50 milliliters.

Save The Bay, Friends of the Saugatucket, and other environmental organizations and individuals are participating in the ongoing Great Nip Pickup Challenge — a volunteer effort to collect the ubiquitous liquor bottles in all 39 cities and towns. The goal is to see how many discarded nip bottles can be collected in 90 days, from Dec. 27 of last year through March 27. So far, nearly 35,000 nips have been connected.

Topher Hamblett, Save The Bay’s director of advocacy, noted the organization has identified three priorities for the current General Assembly sessions: 

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