Trail Mix: The Bread Tab Recurrence

Invented by Floyd G. Paxton, the first bread tab was whittled from a credit card as a means to reseal a bag of peanuts. Now they are commonly used to seal bags of bread (and milk in Ontario and Nova Scotia). My friend Dan pointed out many years ago the funny occurrence that every campsite he's been to has a bread tab located somewhere on the ground. EVERY. CAMPSITE. EVER.

This year I thought I'd put his theory to the test. So far this year I've camped on 16 campsites (both frontcountry and remote backcountry) and come home with a souvenir each and every time.

What is it about this handy invention that has become so common that it reaches the deepest parts of the woods?