# Aluminum Poptops Recycling **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 30, 2003, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aluminum-poptops-recycling/185362 "2003-06-30T15:55:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2003, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aluminum-poptops-recycling/185362/1 "2003-06-30T15:55:13Z")
I thought this question might have been addressed here before, but a search didn’t reveal anything, so if it’s been answered, please accept my apologies and put me out of my misery by answering once more…🙂 My SO’s daughter’s daughter is a cheerleader and they raise money by saving **only** the poptops off aluminum cans, not the cans themselves. Now, my feeble brain seems to remember that the poptops are the purest part of the can abd are never recycled, and this is what makes them so valuable, but **why**? I mean, at .25 cents a pound (last time I checked) the cans themselves should bring in more dough, right? What am I missing here? Thanks Q ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2003, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aluminum-poptops-recycling/185362/2 "2003-06-30T15:59:18Z")
I seem to recall that this is a hoax that will not die. Check Snopes. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2003, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aluminum-poptops-recycling/185362/3 "2003-06-30T16:13:03Z")
Search on Google for “collect poptops”. You will find alot of links to places that are doing the same thing. Most notably, the Ronald McDonald House accepts them for donations. Perhaps it’s just easier to collect the tops - less messy (no pop spillage) and less chance to get cut on them. Also easier to store than un-crushed pop cans. From [this editorial](http://www.gp4teens.com/DoSomething/Article.asp?ID=344&Type=30): > [@](#): > > Did you know that a million pop-tops weigh just over 781 pounds? That’s how much we collected during the 1996-1997 school year. And every penny the recyclers paid went straight to Ronald McDonald House. Plus, most of the recycling centers donated an additional percentage over what they’d normally pay for the aluminum scrap when they found out what it was for. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2003, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aluminum-poptops-recycling/185362/4 "2003-06-30T16:21:11Z")
From Snopes, the second best source of info on the web, > [@](#): > > Honesty and truly I say, pull-tabs won’t buy someone time on a dialysis machine. There’s nothing magical about these bits of metal which makes them worth more than the ordinary recycle value for aluminum. Though at various times it’s been whispered the tabs are made of a special metal (thus accounting for their imagined greater value), there’s nothing to this – the tabs are made of the same material as the rest of the can. > > A million pull-tabs have a recycle value of just under $300 U.S. And that’s before you factor in what it costs to collect, store and transport them to a recycling center that will pay cash for them. When you consider the time and effort it takes to collect a million anything, it’s a wonder anyone would go through all that for $300. Far better to ask everyone you know for a penny in place of each pull-tab they would have given you – at least then when you were done done collecting your million, you’d have $10,000 to donate to your charity. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2003, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aluminum-poptops-recycling/185362/5 "2003-06-30T16:33:13Z")
From Snopes, the second best source of info on the web, > [@](#): > > Honesty and truly I say, pull-tabs won’t buy someone time on a dialysis machine. There’s nothing magical about these bits of metal which makes them worth more than the ordinary recycle value for aluminum. Though at various times it’s been whispered the tabs are made of a special metal (thus accounting for their imagined greater value), there’s nothing to this – the tabs are made of the same material as the rest of the can. > > A million pull-tabs have a recycle value of just under $300 U.S. And that’s before you factor in what it costs to collect, store and transport them to a recycling center that will pay cash for them. When you consider the time and effort it takes to collect a million anything, it’s a wonder anyone would go through all that for $300. Far better to ask everyone you know for a penny in place of each pull-tab they would have given you – at least then when you were done done collecting your million, you’d have $10,000 to donate to your charity. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2003, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aluminum-poptops-recycling/185362/6 "2003-06-30T16:45:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Quasimodem \* > **My SO’s daughter’s daughter is a cheerleader and they raise money by saving only the poptops off aluminum cans, not the cans themselves.** If those cheerleaders actually receive anything for those poptops, you’ll let us know, please? (I was going to put some kind of smilie here, but I really would love to hear from someone who can claim firsthand knowledge of this scam.) ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2003, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aluminum-poptops-recycling/185362/7 "2003-06-30T16:45:19Z")
At work we have some anonymous collection bins for pop tabs with a hand-written sign saying that for each pop tab collected, a kid will get a minute on a dialysis machine. It doesn’t say that’s a fair trade; there may be a company that’s donating the time on the machine in change for recycling the tabs. I haven’t had the heart or the energy to bust somebody’s tiny little good-hearted bubble and put up a post-it note with the link to the snopes page. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2003, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aluminum-poptops-recycling/185362/8 "2003-06-30T17:01:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Keeve \* > **If those cheerleaders actually receive anything for those poptops, you’ll let us know, please?** Yes, **Keeve** I most certainly will. As I indicated in the OP, I am puzzled too, but all our other co-workers are handing my SO baggies filled with poptops, and they’re going _somewhere_! Ostensibly, they’re getting cash to help them go to cheerleading camp. And **Ethilrist** : I have seen the same sign posted onto an old milk jug. If this is a scam (the dialysis) then it’s a particularly cruel one and needs to be stopped. I’ll report back to y’all, okay? Q ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2003, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aluminum-poptops-recycling/185362/9 "2003-06-30T17:18:40Z")
The dialysis IS a scam- and a cruel one. Not only snopes, but others have debunked it. Now, it is true that this UL has been around so long that now “life is imitating art”. Altho most of the collect pop-tops contest are really only a very poor way of collecting scrap aluminum- some companies are now really donating stuff for Pop-tops- however, usually for “special” poptops, not everyones. (and curses on them all for doing this, and confusing the issue) Like Snopes said (and bless them)- it would be 30 times more efficient to collect pennies than pop tops. ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2003, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aluminum-poptops-recycling/185362/10 "2003-06-30T17:24:26Z")
As **ZipperJJ** noted, Ronald McDonald House [does](http://www.rmhc.com/mis/rmhs_poptab/index.html) specifically collect pop tops. > [@](#): > > **Why Collect only the Tabs?** > Though the whole aluminum can is valuable, the tab is made of a more pure form of aluminum. So when that little tab is turned in for scrap metal, it can make a big impact on Ronald McDonald House fundraising. It’s smaller and cleaner than collecting whole cans, so it’s easier for the House to handle the large volume it receives. Plus, it’s convenient, ecologically friendly, and does not compete with other can recycling programs. [Snopes](http://www.snopes.com/business/redeem/pulltab.htm) doesn’t completely agree with their reasoning though. > [@](#): > > Seeing as how folks were bound and determined to collect pull-tabs for charity, in 1987 [McDonald’s](http://www.rmhc.com/mis/rmhs_poptab/index.html) found it a good idea to get into the act. Their Pop Tab Collection program is a response to pull-tab mania, and although its web site presence perpetuates the myth that the tabs are made of a purer form of aluminium than the rest of the can (they’re not), it at least provides folks with a place to dump the tabs they’ve been hoarding over the years in the belief they would purchase dialysis time for an ailing child. Tabs dropped off at various McDonald’s are taken to a local recycling company and the money made from recycling them is given to the local Ronald McDonald House to help defray operating costs. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2003, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aluminum-poptops-recycling/185362/11 "2003-06-30T18:14:58Z")
It’s not exactly a scam, since nobody gets a significan amount of money from it. It’s more of a hoax, perpetuated by gullible but good-hearted folks. And the Ronald McDonald House only collects them because it’s less of a nuissance to do so than it is to try to explain to people that it doesn’t make any sense. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2021, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aluminum-poptops-recycling/185362/12 "2021-08-24T18:50:29Z")
And this hoax continues to be perpetuated today, almost 20 years later. I was in our office breakroom and noticed a flyer on the bulletin board soliciting people to collect aluminum pop tops and send them to one of our facilities in California, because supposedly, a hospital in the area would give patients families a night in a hotel for every pound of tops collected. There was an effort to have other locations collect the tops and mail them to our California facility. At $0.40-$0.50 per pound, it costs more to mail or ship the tabs to our California facility than the value of the tabs. ![](https://c.tenor.com/ZFc20z8DItkAAAAM/facepalm-really.gif) I spoke with the head of our employee interaction team and asked her to take the flyer down and contact the originator of the flyer and ask them to stop making the solicitations based on false information. I noticed also recently, that while Ronald McDonald house still accepts the pop tabs, they are attempting to get people to give “pennies for a purpose”. A pound of pennies is worth more than 3x a pound of pop tabs. ---
**Author:** ![jjakucyk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3d9bf3/32.png) [@jjakucyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjakucyk)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2021, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aluminum-poptops-recycling/185362/13 "2021-08-24T20:04:08Z")
There’s truth in the notion that the tabs are easier to recycle, though whether that’s done in practice is another story. The tabs are just a chunk the same kind of aluminum as the rest of the can, but unlike the rest of the can they’re not lined with a corrosion-inhibiting epoxy (including BPA) on the inside or coated in paint on the outside. The tabs can theoretically be melted straight down, whereas the cans need to be shredded and burned before melting to remove those coatings. Plus as @ZipperJJ noted, they pack well compared to uncrushed (or even crushed) cans, and aren’t full of mold and bug-attracting soda residue. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2021, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aluminum-poptops-recycling/185362/14 "2021-08-24T20:38:40Z")
Cecil’s take on the subject: ([Will saving pull tabs earn free kidney dialysis for needy patients? - The Straight Dope](https://www.straightdope.com/21341843/will-saving-pull-tabs-earn-free-kidney-dialysis-for-needy-patients)) ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2021, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aluminum-poptops-recycling/185362/15 "2021-08-27T02:24:54Z")
> [@jjakucyk](#): > > but unlike the rest of the can they’re not lined with a corrosion-inhibiting epoxy (including BPA) on the inside ? They aren’t ? The tang is connected to tab: are people actually separating that before collecting? And, back-in-the-day, the parts were all made from the same pre-coated stock. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2021, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aluminum-poptops-recycling/185362/16 "2021-08-27T10:25:11Z")
The epoxy is sprayed on after the can parts are formed ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2021, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aluminum-poptops-recycling/185362/17 "2021-08-27T12:08:41Z")
Ok. But that’s not how it was done when I knew about it. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2021, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aluminum-poptops-recycling/185362/18 "2021-08-27T12:32:58Z")
> Their Pop Tab Collection program is a response to pull-tab mania, and although its web site presence perpetuates the myth that the tabs are made of a purer form of aluminum than the rest of the can (they’re not), … - Snopes I think Snopes is wrong. According to the book [The Science and Engineering of Materials](https://books.google.com/books?id=CIIiBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA408), > The beverage cans are made of two aluminum alloys (3004 for the main body, and 5182 for the lids) having different compositions. The 3004 alloy has the exceptional formability needed to perform the deep drawing process; the 5182 alloy is harder and permits the pull-tops to function properly. When the cans are remelted, the resulting alloy contains both Mg and Mn and is not suitable for with either application. > > One approach to recycling the cans is to separate the two alloys from the cans. The cans are shredded, then heated to remove the lacquer that helps protect the cans during use. We could then further shred the material at a temperature where the 5182 alloy begins to melt. The 5182 alloy has a wider freezing range than the 3004 alloy and breaks into very small pieces; the more ductile 3004 alloy remains in larger pieces. The small pieces of 5182 can therefore be separated by passing the material through a screen. The two separated alloys can then be melted, cast, and rolled into new can stock. > > An alternative method would be to simply remelt the cans. Once the cans have been melted, we could bubble chlorine gas through the liquid alloy. The chlorine reacts selectively with the magnesium, removing it as a chloride. The remaining liquid can then be adjusted to the proper composition and be recycled as 3004 alloy. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2021, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aluminum-poptops-recycling/185362/19 "2021-08-27T13:40:03Z")
Fair enough - I imagine it doesn’t make a big enough difference in terms of recyclability anyway - especially when the tab is a fraction of the weight of the can ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2021, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aluminum-poptops-recycling/185362/20 "2021-08-27T14:21:13Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I think Snopes is wrong. According to the book [The Science and Engineering of Materials](https://books.google.com/books?id=CIIiBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA408), ??? According to your own cite, Snopes is right. The pop tops are NOT a “purer” form of aluminum than the rest of the can, making them somehow more valuable. The body is aluminum primarily alloyed with manganese and the lids aluminum primarily alloyed with magnesium. So, it is true they’re a bit different from each other but not in terms of value or purity of aluminum. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aluminum-poptops-recycling/185362.md?page=2)