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Something So Small Can Make a Big Difference
Turns out, he was collecting for a cause, not just for fun. All those pop tabs he puts in his Pringles can (or rather his mom the Dr. Pepper fiend) wind up going over to the Ronald McDonald House where they're sold to a recycling center. The money is then used to help pay for operations costs for running the house. (They have to pay the light bill somehow.)
So how many cans are you throwing in the recycle bin every day? (I know you aren't throwing them in the trash, right?) Take a second to pull the tab off before you toss the can and start your own collection for your local Ronald McDonald House. This is a great way to start training your kids to think of others and give back in the community.
Every Little Bit Counts
Why Pop Tabs?
How can something so small help?
The tab of an aluminum can is pure aluminum unlike the rest of the can, which contains paint and other residue. Recycling the tabs generates proceeds to donate to a local Ronald McDonald House. The tabs do not pay for treatment or night stays - only house operations.
Pop tabs are small and convenient to collect. Hundreds of thousands of pop tabs have been collected to benefit Ronald McDonald Houses.
1 pop tab is approximately 1 inch long
1,267 pop tabs make 1 pound
1 pound of aluminum can be sold for approximately 40¢
The House That Love Built
Department 56 Home for the Holidays The House That Love Built Ronald McDonald House 1997 8960
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Pop Tab Photos
I've started a collection of pop tabs from the Amp energy drinks I take to work ...
Tab
Liked the gleam of the steel and the curve of the ring-tab.
Pop tops around a key ring
Pop Tab Donation Resources
- Participating Ronald McDonald Houses
- PDF listing of all the chapters that participate in the pop top program.
- Other Ways to Help
- If your local house doesn't participate, there are other ways you can help out.
- Ronald McDonald Charities
- Official website that tells all about the Ronald McDonald houses.
The average person drinks 12 cans of soda a week.
How to Participate in the Pop Tab Program
Your local Ronald McDonald House might have collection boxes you can use, but a container with a plastic lid you can cut a slot into works fine. My friend uses a Pringles can; a coffee can would also be great.
Have the tabs recycled in your community and mail the proceeds to your house.
Your local house might have a connection with a recycling center already where you can take the tabs directly. If they have an account set up, then the money can just go directly to the local house. Otherwise, you can just take the money and make a donation yourself. You might also check to see if they have a wish list set up somewhere where you can purchase items for the house with the money.
Drop off your tabs at the Ronald McDonald House.
My local house has made provisions for you to bring your tabs to the house to drop off in a collection container at the front door.
Note: Check with your local house to see if they participate in the program and how they prefer to have collections/donations done.
From the Heart of our House
From The Heart Of Our House
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All About the Ronald McDonald House Charities
A Ronald McDonald House (named after Ronald McDonald) is a place where the parents of children that are in a nearby hospital can stay at night for reduced or no cost. The first Ronald McDonald House opened in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1974. In 1985, the first Ronald McDonald House outside the United States opened, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands . In 1991, the 150th Ronald McDonald House opened, in Paris, France. On July 25, 2005, the 250th opened, in Caracas, Venezuela. Currently, there are 271 Ronald McDonald Houses operating in 30 countries.
In 1994, the Chronicle of Philanthropy, an industry publication, released the results of the largest study of charitable and non-profit organization popularity and credibility conducted by Nye Lavalle & Associates. The study showed that Ronald McDonald House was ranked as the 2nd "most popular charity/non-profit in America" of over 100 charities researched with 50% of Americans over the age of 12 choosing Love and Like A lot for Ronald McDonald House.The Charities Americans Like Most And Least, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, December 13, 1996
More on the Ronald McDonald House
Ronald McDonald House Music
Ronald McDonald House Charities - Awards of Excellence
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Pop Tab Recycling: What's the Buzz?
- Crafty This and That: Another Pop Tab Bracelet
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- Greencastle Banner-Graphic: Story: Extension homemakers sponsor ...
- Putnam County Extension Homemakers are sponsoring its second annual Pop Tab Collection Day for Ronald McDonald House of Indiana. Members will be set up in the front parking lot of the Greencastle Wal-Mart from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 20 ...
- The Little Pop Tab That Could
- Since Brendon spent so much time at the Ronald McDonald House I can't help but ask everyone I ever meet with a soda can to give me their pop tab. (The Ronald McDonald House turns the tabs into a recycling center as a fundraiser for the ...
Before you toss the empty can into the recycle bin, take off the tab!
All About Aluminum Recycling
Aluminium recycling is the process by which scrap aluminium can be reused in products after its initial production. The process involves simply re-melting the metal, which is far less expensive and energy intensive than creating new aluminium through the electrolysis of aluminium oxide (23), which must first be mined from bauxite ore and then refined using the Bayer process. Recycling scrap aluminum requires only 5% of the energy used to make new aluminium. Recycling | The price of virtue | Economist.com For this reason, approximately 31% of all aluminium produced in the United States comes from recycled scrap. http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/aluminum/mcs-2008-alumi.pdf minerals.usgs.gov
A common practice since the early 1900s and extensively capitalized during World War II, aluminium recycling is not new. It was, however, a low-profile activity until the late 1960s when the exploding popularity of aluminium beverage cans finally placed recycling into the public consciousness.
Sources for recycled aluminium include aircraft, automobiles, bicycles, boats, computers, cookware, gutters, siding, wire, and many other products that require a strong light weight material, or a material with high thermal conductivity. As recycling does not damage the metal's structure, aluminium can be recycled indefinitely and still be used to produce any product for which new aluminium could have been used.WasteOnline: Metals aluminium and steel recycling
Category: Image - :pressed-cans.jpg|Baled cans ready for transport|right|thumb|200px
Category: Image - :shredded aluminium cans.png|Shredded aluminium beverage cans|right|thumb|200px
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Do You Collect Pop Tabs?
Any tips to share? How'd you get involved? Here's your chance to shine!
badmsm wrote...
My 9 y/o collects pop tops for Ronald McDonald, too. What an easy way to get kids involved in serving others!
5 stars & a Squid Angel Blessing!
Posted May 19, 2009
getbackup wrote...
Shoot! I had a kazillion of these & thought it wasn't true (after saving for months) then junked them! Bummer. I'll start saving again. I think the Ronald McDonald houses are great & want to start helping this cause. Great lens!! Thanks!
Posted February 01, 2009
Ramkitten wrote...
I'd never heard of this before. Yikes, to think of all of the can I've put in the recycling bin, never knowing I could pull the tab off and put it to good use for a good cause. Glad I came across this lens!
Posted December 21, 2008
poutine wrote...
I collect them for an organization here that sells the aluminium and use the money to buy wheelchairs for people who can't afford them.
Poutine
Posted August 09, 2008
beachbum_gabby wrote...
I remember collecting these when I was in HS, it's a good cause for making a wheelchair.
Posted August 03, 2008
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