By Cary Shuman
Councilor-at-Large Katy Rogers and resident Stephanie McColaugh of Clean Up Everett collaborated for a clean-up of Glendale Park Sunday morning.
“Stephanie has been organizing similar events independently for months and I wanted to support her efforts,” said Rogers at the well-attended event.
The cleanup took place as Glendale Park has been plagued by the disposal of miniature alcohol bottles (nips) along the walkways in the otherwise picturesque recreational facility that is part of Everett’s highly acclaimed parks system.
“Nip bottle pollution is a significant problem throughout the entire city of Everett,” said Rogers. “On any given day, it’s easy to find around twenty nip bottles scattered in Glendale Park alone. Despite our cleanup efforts, the bottles reappear just as quickly as they’re removed. For this clean-up, we asked volunteers to separate nips to reflect the amount of miniature alcohol bottles a typical Everett High School student encounters on their walk to school. People should be able to enjoy public spaces without nips constantly in sight. Our DPW shouldn’t have to bear the burden of this additional litter, and cleaning up nips is an unsustainable task—especially since they can’t be recycled.”
McColaugh, founder/creator of Clean Up Everett, which is an Instagram account where she documents daily litter pickups, said in an interview at the event, “I’m just really proud of our community for coming up and doing the best they can to pick up the litter, and I’m looking forward to seeing what the City does to pass some policy changes to address the source of the problem, too.”
McColaugh also addressed the topic of the numerous miniature alcohol bottles found at the park. “They’re a huge problem. Every walk that I go on, I collect a huge bag of the bottles. So, it’s sad, because this is a kids’ park and it’s right in front of a school. I think our community deserves better and needs to show some self-respect and ban nips.”
Rogers, who is in first term on the Everett City Council, said that McColaugh has been unsung contributor to the City through Clean Up Everett.
When Stephanie McColaugh started Clean Up Everett, it wasn’t about recognition—it was about making a real difference,” said Rogers.
“Her initiative is a genuine effort to clean up our city and bring attention to the litter problem. She doesn’t just talk about the issue; she takes action, even if it means doing the work alone. I deeply admire her dedication.”
Rogers also thanked her colleague, Ward 5 Councilor Robert Van Campen, for participating in the cleanup.
“I am grateful Councilor Van Campen was able to join us for this clean-up initiative,” said Rogers. Councilor [Anthony] DiPierro couldn’t attend but he donated supplies and Council President [Stephanie] Martins has been vocal on the nip issue since the beginning.”
The Everett DPW also drew praise from organizers for its support of the cleanup.
“We were overwhelmed by the support for this initiative and with so many volunteers we collected more litter than we anticipated,” credited Rogers. “We called 311 and Joseph LaMonica was on duty and able to help make sure the extra trash could be properly disposed of. Despite the hard work of the DPW every day, our effort highlights just how quickly the litter problem has grown in Everett.”
Licensing Commission
meeting April 28
Councilor Rogers expects a large turnout at the April 28 Licensing Commission meeting when the nip bottle issue will be on the agenda.
“There are several residents who have been vocal on the nip issue in their own right, whether that is collecting nips independently or documenting photos and sharing them on social media,” said Rogers. “I expect many resident to attend the licensing board meeting on April 28.
“Our goal is to ban the sale of nip bottles in Everett entirely. They are a pollutant that cannot be recycled and are an indicator of public intoxication and drinking and driving. Our students deserve better than looking at 100 miniature liquor bottles littering their neighborhood on their walk to school. There is currently no ordinance to exclude the sale of nips and the decision falls under the jurisdiction of the licensing board, not the city council,” concluded Rogers.