Middletown Nip Bottle Sales Top 650K Over Past 6 Months

MIDDLETOWN, CT — More than 600,000 nip bottles were sold at liquor establishments in Middletown over the past six moths, rendering more than $33,000 to the municipality as part of Connecticut's Nickel-Per-Nip program.

Under the program, each city and town in the state receives 5 cents for each nip sold within its borders every six months.

The funding is intended for locally driven environmental stewardship programs.

Here are the numbers for the town, according to the Wine and Spirit Wholesalers of Connecticut:

Middletown

• Nips sold: 664,671
• Payment to town: $33,233.65

Larry Cafero, the Executive Director and General Counsel of the Wine and Spirit Wholesalers, announced Monday that the Nickel Per Nip Environmental Fee — a program that first went into effect in 2021 — has now disbursed nearly $16 million to Connecticut’s towns and cities since its inception.

Cafero also said that the revenue for the latest reporting period – Oct. 1, 2024 through March 1, 2025 — was $2.44 million.

Via the program, every city and town in Connecticut with liquor or package stores receives 5 cents for each nip sold within its borders. The program was designed to help cities and towns provide for the collection and proper disposal of nips to combat littering.

"The Nickel per Nip program has continued to be a tremendous success for Connecticut’s towns and cities and our state as a whole," Cafero said. "By directly benefiting communities and significantly reducing litter and enhancing recycling efforts, the program has shown what impact smart, thoughtful legislation can have. We are grateful to the legislature for protecting and supporting this initiative, ensuring its continued positive impact across Connecticut."