What’s in a Pop Tab?

Rarely does a day pass at the Ronald McDonald House® when there isn’t an individual or group stopping in to drop off pop tabs. One day it’s our friend Jack dropping off the tabs he’s collected over the past month at his retirement community. The next day it’s our former guest Seth who traveled from Wisconsin to donate 25,000 pop tabs his community has donated in support of him. Later that afternoon, a group of first graders stop in with a bin of tabs they’ve been collecting since the first day of school. It seems whenever you mention Ronald McDonald House®, someone else mentions that they’ve been saving their tabs.

Although they may seem small or insignificant, they really do add up. In 2014 alone, pop tab donations generated nearly $18,000 for the Ronald McDonald House® of Rochester, Minnesota.

So what’s with the pop tabs – why do we collect them in the first place?

For decades collecting pop tabs has been a popular program with Ronald McDonald House’s around the world. Volunteers deliver the donated tabs to a local recycling facility where they receive money for the aluminum – all proceeds from the program directly benefit the  families who call the Ronald McDonald House® of Rochester, Minnesota their home-away-from-home.

But why not the whole can?

Pop tabs are a tangible, clean, easy-to-store item that can be found on more than just pop cans. Vegetable and fruit cans, tuna, pet food and other beverage cans all have tabs. From kids to teenagers, parents to grandparents – collecting pop tabs is a simple way that anyone, any age, can support the House.

Three times yearly we do collect the whole can. Our Cans for Kids event is held each winter, spring and fall with McNeilus Companies. Individuals, families or groups can bring their aluminum cans and pop tabs to the House and a McNeilus truck will collect the donations. All proceeds from the recycled aluminum is donated to the House. Our next Cans for Kids event is Saturday, March 5, 2016.

Pop Tab Fun Facts