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All in all, a group of volunteers picked up almost 50,000 littered miniature "nip" liquor bottles in Gardner on Saturday, Oct. 3.
The hunt was sponsored in part by Anthony’s Liquor Mart, which put out a “bounty” on the tiny liquor bottles during the event - 5 cents per nip.
Owner James Kraskouskas said he paid out just under $2,500, according to the Worcester Telegram and Gazette. The money was donated to Keep Gardner Beautiful, a group that organizes weekend city cleanups.
Empty nip bottles are found so often lying by the side of the road that some communities have moved to ban them. Chelsea had a ban that was appealed by local liquor stores. Earlier this year the state alcohol licensing commission said it does not have jurisdiction to rule on the appeal. Falmouth, Wareham, and Attleboro have also discussed bans.
Many of the people cleaning up improperly disposed of trash belonged to the Gardner Pride Litter Angels, a group founded in 2016.
The Keep Gardner Beautiful Facebook page thanked a long list of community businesses and community leaders that helped make the cleanup possible. Among them was Shirley Graf, a Halifax woman who donated 5,220 nips.
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