Special Needs Clients, Scouts Utilizing Nip Bottle Program Money To Keep Vernon Clean Of Discarded Bottles

VERNON, CT, CT — So, where does that nip bottle payout go in Vernon?

It helps fund a paying endeavor for the special needs community and gives Scouts a chance to earn community service hours and maintain a clean-up program.

Vernon's latest nip bottle share totaled $30,668.05 on 613,361 bottles sold as $2.56 million was distributed to municipalities in the latest round of Connecticut's Nickel-Per-Nip program.

Statistics for the latest reporting period — April 1 through Sept. 30, 2026 — were recently released by the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of Connecticut.

Over the five years of the program, about $25 million has been paid out to towns and cities.

Under the program, each municipality receives 5 cents for each nip liquor bottle sold sold within its borders every six months. The nickel is charged to customers at the point of sale. The funding is intended for locally driven environmental stewardship programs.

Vernon uses the money. to pay for clients at Opportunity Works to clean up litter in Downtown Rockville. A good chunk of that litter is discarded nip bottles.

The special needs clients take pride in keeping the area news the Opportunity Works office clean, town officials said.

A local Scouting troop is also supported in its efforts to rid local parks of discarded trash, town officials said.

The table below lists the amount of nip bottles sold and the allocation of payments for Connecticut municipalities covering the six-month period from April 1 through Sept. 30, 2026: