# Help me fight the ignorance... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 22, 2002, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-the-ignorance/110275 "2002-05-22T10:25:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Patricinus\_Scriblerus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@Patricinus\_Scriblerus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patricinus_Scriblerus)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-the-ignorance/110275/1 "2002-05-22T10:25:32Z")
We all know the infamous “pull tab” urban myth. I have looked it up on [snopes.com](http://snopes.com) and I am certain that it is largely a myth. But there are a few die-hards here in Canada that INSIST that there they know people who have gained from this (wheelchairs etc). Is there any irrefuteable proof that this is a myth / hoax that I can present to them so my co-workers will stop giving me the evil eye every time I drop a can in the recycle bin with-out taking off the pull tab. In my search I came across the following : [http://www.tabfest.com/](http://www.tabfest.com/) These people **ARE** joking right???😕 ---
**Author:** ![LolaBaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@LolaBaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaBaby)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-the-ignorance/110275/2 "2002-05-22T10:54:44Z")
Maybe they’re too cheap to buy guitar picks. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-the-ignorance/110275/3 "2002-05-22T11:06:08Z")
A more descriptive and concise thread title would get you a better response. It’s not only a good idea, it’s the law. ---
**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:** [May 22, 2002, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-the-ignorance/110275/4 "2002-05-22T14:23:57Z")
Pretty hard to prove a negative. The burden of proof is on those who allege this occurred. Tell your co-workers you anxiously await evidence of what they claim–as in real evidence, not hearsay. ---
**Author:** ![psiekier](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psiekier/32/116_2.png) [@psiekier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psiekier)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-the-ignorance/110275/5 "2002-05-22T18:24:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Patricinus Scriblerus \* > **We all know the infamous “pull tab” urban myth. I have looked it up on [snopes.com](http://snopes.com) and I am certain that it is largely a myth. But there are a few die-hards here in Canada that INSIST that there they know people who have gained from this (wheelchairs etc). Is there any irrefuteable proof that this is a myth / hoax that I can present to them so my co-workers will stop giving me the evil eye every time I drop a can in the recycle bin with-out taking off the pull tab.** Soo, how’s it goin’, eh? Coold oop dere yet? The reason there are die-hards in Canada who believe the pull-tab legend is real is because that’s the only place it was real - it’s a case of the urban legend inspiring real life events. The Royal Canadian Legion in Elora, Ontario, Canada, is the reason behind the truth to this legend. Up until 1993, it really _was_ just an urban legend. They found a scrap dealer (Alcan, in nearby Guelph, apparently) who was willing to take the tabs for the aluminum they contained. According to an April 17th, 1993 article in the Kitchener/Waterloo Record, the Elora Legion then used the proceeds to purchase wheelchairs for the disabled, just like the UL. You can read more about it in [this article](http://www.urbanlegends.com/classic/pull.tabs/pull_tabs_in_canada.html) at the alt.folklore.urban archives. ---
**Author:** ![Fibonacci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df788c/32.png) [@Fibonacci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fibonacci)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-the-ignorance/110275/6 "2002-05-22T19:27:13Z")
But if they are just buying it as scrap aluminum, why collect just the tab and not the whole can? Seems they’re missing out on a couple tons of scrap aluminum that way. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Wikkit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c0e974/32.png) [@Wikkit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wikkit)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-the-ignorance/110275/7 "2002-05-22T20:32:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fibonacci \* > \*\*But if they are just buying it as scrap aluminum, why collect just the tab and not the whole can? > Seems they’re missing out on a couple tons of scrap aluminum that way. 😕 \*\* If there’s a deposit on the can, you could get it back for the can sans pull tab. Around here, schools collect them for some reason, and there’s a five cent deposit on cans. Cans are also bulkier and messier that just the pull tabs. As someone who occasionally does metal detecting, I wish the damned things were never invented. The old ones are really bad, because they were always pulled completely off the can and dropped on the ground by annoying drunks. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-the-ignorance/110275/8 "2002-05-22T20:36:49Z")
It’s not only in Canada, many Ronald McDonald Houses also collect them. Here’s one in California > **[Inland Empire Ronald McDonald House](https://rmhcsc.org/inlandempire/)** > > Welcome to the Inland Empire Ronald McDonald House, where we provide comfort, care, and support to children and families in Southern California. From the site: > [@](#): > > Why do you collect only the pull-tab and not the whole can? > > Pull-tabs are cleaner and easier than collecting the entire can. > Pull-tab collection does not compete with other recycling programs. You may still recycle your can even though the pull-tab has been removed. > It is an easy and fun way for children to get involved in helping others. > Can be an effective teaching tool when used in classrooms I, too, always thought it was a myth. Turns out it’s not (And it started at VFW #295, St. Paul Minnesotta in 1987) ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-the-ignorance/110275/9 "2002-05-22T20:53:00Z")
What they don’t tell you on any of these sites is that aluminum (pure ingot aluminum) brings in $0.60/lb. At this price, it would take 300,000 tabs to buy ONE wheelchair (the crappiest wheelchair I can find costs $180). Any profit taken by the scrap dealer increases that number. I also have a hard time believing that tabs are made of “a higher grade aluminum”; soda cans are essentially pure aluminum, and painst and such float off as slag. I can find no reference to any “special aluminum” used in can tabs. I think that this whole “tabs for wheelchairs” business is a silly attention-getting gimmick; the cans are worth much MUCH more (especially in states with deposits). The wheelchairs are probably donated or sold below cost (perhaps in some kind of matching program). ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-the-ignorance/110275/10 "2002-05-22T21:14:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Nametag \* > **…I also have a hard time believing that tabs are made of “a higher grade aluminum”; soda cans are essentially pure aluminum, and painst and such float off as slag. I can find no reference to any “special aluminum” used in can tabs…** Maybe the pulltabs are of a thicker guage, since they need a higher structural strength. The tab acts as a lever against the top, which is itself a thicker grade than the sides. Just a WAG, though. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-the-ignorance/110275/11 "2002-05-23T00:51:24Z")
> [@](#): > > many Ronald McDonald Houses also collect them Then Ronald McDonald houses should be ashamed of themselves. From the linked site: > [@](#): > > Little did they know they would be starting a fundraising program which to do date has collected over 400 million tabs and generated over $300,000. I wonder how much blood, sweat & tears it took to collect 400 million tiny sharp pieces of almost worthless metal. $300,000 sounds like a tremendous achievement, but think about how much money could have been raised if they had collected 400 million pennies instead. It’s simple math, but I’ll give you the answer anyway: **Four Million Dollars.** More than 13 times what they _claim_ to have collected in pull tabs. Subtract out recycling costs and the labor of who knows how many dozens (hundreds?) of people, and you just have to ask yourself what the hell were they thinking? From [Snopes](http://www.snopes.com/business/redeem/pulltab.htm): > [@](#): > > 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. Anybody who would prefer to raise $300 for their charity when they could raise $10,000 with much less effort, just isn’t thinking straight. I believe that some McDonalds locations started setting up pull tab bins because they didn’t want the bad PR that could come from turning away charitable donations, even if they were infinitesimally small donations. It would not surprise me to learn that the night shift clean up crews chuck the worthless tabs into the garbage in the wee hours of the morning.