When I offered my tips on recycling beer cans, I left out a key thing. And I should’ve known better, because it’s something I’ve done myself.
Before you recycle your beer (or soda) cans, you should remove the aluminum tabs and collect them in a jar.
That’s because for nearly a quarter-century now – since 2000 – Ronald McDonald House of Eastern Wisconsin has raised nearly half a million dollars from pop tab collection.
As part of its pop tab efforts, Ronald McDonald House also kicked off a Battle of the Breweries last autumn.
Beginning on Nov. 1, 2023, the second annual battle started with eight area craft breweries competing to collect the most tabs.
(Third Space edged out Broken Bat in the first competition last spring, turning in 40 pounds of tabs!)
This year, the competing breweries are Broken Bat, Component, Fermentorium, Indeed, Lake Louie, Lakefront, MobCraft and Third Space.
Which ever can collect the most tabs by May 11 wins.
But the breweries need you!
Bring a donation a sandwich bag full of pop tabs to any of the breweries and you’ll get a free beer (one per person, per visit).
The breweries will then “Pull Together” to double the donation at the end of the battle on Tab Toss Day.
The mid-season weigh-in event to gauge progress will be on Thursday, Jan. 25, from 4 until 10 p.m. at Broken Bat, 135 E Pittsburgh Ave., in Walker’s Point. The weigh-in will take place at 5:30. Sporacle will host general and music trivia from 6:30 until 9 p.m.
Tots on the Street will be there selling food, there will be a 50/50 raffle and, of course, if you bring your baggie full of pop tops, you’ll get a free beer.
Each participating brewery will have a collection bin at the weigh-in, so you’ll face the challenge of deciding which bin to choose. For immediate free beer gratification, pick Broken Bat. For a coupon to use later at your favorite brewery, choose one of the others.
The tabs collected that night will go straight to Ronald McDonald House or Complete Recycling.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
