How does it work?
We collect aluminum pull tabs from any container (soda pop, soup, pet food, etc.) and work with Franklin Iron and Metal and First Street Recycling to turn those tabs into money for families of hospitalized children.
Who can participate?
Anyone! Because pull tabs are common and easy to collect, any individual or group can participate. Many schools support this project because it provides a terrific opportunity for children to get involved and make a genuine contribution to their community. Churches, hospitals, grocery stores, Rotary clubs and businesses also participate in this easy program.
Why pull tabs?
The pull tab program is especially important to RMHC Dayton because of Dayton’s connection to the history of pull tabs. Ermal Fraze invented the pull tab after forming the Dayton Reliable Tool Company. Read more about the history below.
How do I collect the tabs?
Get creative by making an eye-popping collection container for your pull tabs. You can download a Pull Tab label to paste on your container here. Use boxes, coffee cans or large plastic jars with wide openings (no milk jugs please!). We can provide you with a corrugated cardboard miniature house. Hanging up flyers and decorating your collection containers can help catch people’s eyes! Be clear that it’s going to help a good cause! You can use our templates or make your own!
Be sure to communicate with your friends, family, and co-workers! Let them know why you are collecting and what Ronald McDonald House Dayton does. Share posts on social media using #RMHCDayton to remind your followers to share their pop tabs with you or start their own collection!
Get a behind-the-scenes look at where the pull tabs go after collection. Read more here.
How do I promote the program at my school, company, or organization?
Hanging up flyers and decorating your collection containers will catch people’s eyes! Be clear that it’s for a good cause! You can use our templates or make your own. Best decorated containers will be featured on our website!
Pull Tab FAQ
Where can I get a tab collection box?
Any container can be used to collect pull tabs. RMHC Dayton has a a small number of collection boxes available for those interested. We do ask for a donation to cover the cost of production. If you need more than a few boxes for a school or community project, please reach out to Erika Ward via email for bulk orders.
Where do I bring my tabs?
You can bring them to the Ronald McDonald House at 555 Valley Street, Dayton, OH 45404 between 9 am-9 pm or place them in the pull tab house outside. Should you like a tour of our House when you drop off your donations, please call (937) 224-0047 prior to your visit.
Every Spring, we host a pull tab weighing contest and family-friendly event at 2nd Street Market, Tab-a-PULL-ooza.
Or recycle them and send the proceeds to us. We recommend:
First Street Recycling
1321 E. First St. Dayton, Ohio 45403
Why do you only collect the tab?
Tabs are more sanitary and easier to store than whole cans in our limited space.
How much do you receive for the tabs?
After the tabs are collected, our local recycler picks up the tabs and brings them to their processing facility, where they are weighed to determine their value (values can vary significantly). The recycling center then sends us a check for the total value. Annually, the revenue generated from tabs collected throughout the year generate approximately $16,000 for RMHC Dayton.
Tab-a-PULL-Ooza 2021 resulted in 1,260 pounds being collected. The total value raised from that one-day event was $630.
Schedule a Speaker
Schedule a speaker to come in and talk about RMHC Dayton, what we do, and the pull tab program. Contact Erika Ward at [email protected] or call 937.224.0047 x 20.
Dayton’s Pull Tab History
Ermal “Ernie” Fraze was born in Muncie, Ind., in 1913 and later moved to Dayton, Ohio. He started a career as a machine tool operator and thanks to a small loan from his wife, formed the Dayton Reliable Tool Company in 1949.
After forgetting a ‘church key’ can opener during a picnic in 1959, Fraze had to use his car bumper to open his drinks. Fraze thought there had to be a better way to open cans and developed a pull-top style pull tab.
Fraze applied for and was granted a patent in 1967. He ended up modifying his original invention and patented the first push-in and fold-back tab in 1977. It has become known as the “Pop-Top” and is the primary design still used on canned beverages today.
Fraze passed away at the age of 79 from a brain tumor in 1989.
DRT Manufacturing Company is still in operation today and has manufactured tools and machinery for several companies including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, General Electric, Ford and Chrysler, among others.
Various Fraze Patents:
October 1968
April 1969
November 1969
Fun Facts
Aluminum Recycling Facts
- Discovered in the 1820s, aluminum is the most abundant metal on earth.
- More than 50 percent of the aluminum cans produced are recycled.
- A used aluminum can is recycled and back on the grocery shelf as a new can, in as few as 60 days
- Aluminum is a durable and sustainable metal: two-thirds of the aluminum ever produced is in use today.
- Every minute of everyday, an average of 113,204 aluminum cans are recycled.
- Making new aluminum cans from used cans takes 95 percent less energy than manufacturing new cans
- 20 recycled aluminum cans can be made with the same energy it would take to produce one can if virgin ore were used
- Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to keep a 100-watt bulb burning for almost four hours or to run your television for three hours
- In 2017, 54 billion cans were recycled saving an energy amount equivalent to 15 million barrels of crude oil – America’s entire gas consumption for one day.
- Tossing away an aluminum can wastes as much energy as pouring out half of that can’s volume of gasoline.
- In 1972, 24,000 metric tons of aluminum used beverage containers (UBCs) were recycled. In 1998, the amount increased to more than 879,000 metric tons
*Source: Earth911.com
Tab-a-Pull-ooza
Sunday, May 15, 2022 | 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. | 2nd Street Market
Join us May 15, 2022, when schools, groups, and individuals from across the Miami Valley come together to bring the pop tabs they have collected throughout the year.
This fun event helps kids understand the importance of serving and shows them how easy it can be to make a difference.
Thanks to 2nd Street Market for being our gracious host for Tab-a-PULL-ooza!
Questions? Contact Donor Relations & Signature Events Manager Erika Ward at [email protected] or 937.224.0047 ex. 20.
