How to Donate Soda Can Tabs

Soda can tabs made from aluminum are accepted by some non-profit organizations as a form of donation. These organizations trade in the tabs to recycling centers for cash, but not all groups accept them. Despite rumors and websites that may state otherwise, only a handful or organizations accept the tabs -- but they are not used to purchase wheelchairs or to trade for time on dialysis machines. Only donate the tabs to benefit known nonprofit and social groups that openly state that they accept the tabs for recycling trade-in value.

Organizations that accept soda-can tabs, such as some of the Ronald McDonald House Charities or Shriners Hospitals for Children locations, accept only the aluminum tabs, rather than entire soda cans. This is because the tabs are pure aluminum, while the cans likely are't. The tabs are also more compact and managable when dealing with mass quantities of donated aluminum. It takes quite a few tabs to even earn one dollar in recycling value -- as of late 2014, 1 pound of can tabs is worth 60 to 70 cents. Call a local chapter of the Shriners or the Ronald McDonald House Charities to find a group currently accepting the tabs from aluminum beverage cans. Organize a tab-collection drive at schools, businesses that serve canned beverages or among social groups by getting permission from the location first. Place collection boxes in the establishment, along with a printout explaining that the tabs benefit your chosen cause.