I figured this urban legend had died long ago, but over the weekend I was surprised to see someone pulling the tab off his drink and placing it in a pile of other tabs.
"Those are worthless, you know," I told him. Which brought protests of disbelief from the three people there, my husband included.
Cliff said there's a container for tabs where he works. I was told that even schools have containers to collect them.
So, maybe I was the one who was wrong. I got on the computer and went straight to snopes.com, where I found that this legend has been going around since the 1970's. If you'd like to read what Snopes has to say, click HERE. (You can't copy and paste Snopes content, or I would do so.)
Yes, the Shriner's hospital will accept your tabs (click HERE), but they're only worth the value of their aluminum content. Ronald McDonald House also accepts them, evidently just to make people happy about all that hoarding of tabs. One hundred tabs are worth about 3 1/2 cents.
The National Kidney foundation suggests you recycle the whole can, and donate the money received, because they have no program for accepting tabs.
What I love about Snopes is that they give sources, so you don't have to simply take their word for it.
The next time you hear something that seems too good to be true... check with Snopes.
You have got to be kiddin' me! I have been collecting tabs for years! It would have been soooooo much easier to just give them money! Thanks for the info.
ReplyDeleteThanks for keeping us posted on these kind of things. I have never looked at Snopes. com....I'm going to have to check that out.
ReplyDeleteI didnt know how it worked. I thought maybe a company would donate a certain amount of money for each tab, say a penny a tab or something like that...I didnt know it was the weight of the tabs worth...thats silly, recycling the cans makes more sense. I love snopes, especially for folks that are circulating old rumors, so they won't keep passing it on.
ReplyDeleteI keep a jar on my kitchen counter for them, but I always forget to take them to Ronald McDonald House when go there with my Soroptimist Club to bring dinner.
ReplyDeleteI have used snopes lot of times. I have never collected those tabs though LOL. Helen
ReplyDeleteThe tabs seem like a losing proposition. I have saved the cans for years and will continue to even though we don't drink much soda and no beer. I'm not too good to pick up the ones I see on the street either.
ReplyDeleteI used to collect them as a teen in the 70's. I did not know that they still do it. Hmmmmm...
ReplyDeleteBrook's 4-H cub saves the tabs. They have a contest as to which school can save the most.
ReplyDelete