Flags Alternative ways to recycle Special Instructions AVOID DISPOSAL: Flags that touch the ground are still perfectly fine to continue using. Often flags just need repair or a simple cleaning, which both are allowed, according to the American Legion. Could it be donated or offered on a sharing site? Just make sure the flag is respectfully folded properly. Donation of qualifying flags is also possible through Stars For Our Troops. RESPECTFUL DISPOSAL: If the flag is no longer usable or donatable, U.S. Flag Code calls for respectful flag retirement. While formal burning ceremonies traditionally had been recommended, modern flags are made of synthetic material (with flame retardants or other noxious coatings), therefore open burning is not an environmentally sound practice. However, respectful flag retirement is allowed through recycling or cutting in a specific way so that it is no longer an official flag. Since there are no local nylon recyclers that accept flags directly, cutting provides a suitable at-home option: Boy Scouts of America recommended cutting and disposal method: Stretch out the corners of the flag. Cut the flag in half vertically — do not cut into the blue star field. Place the two halves together and cut in half horizontally. You will have four pieces of flag, one being the blue star field and the other three red and white stripes. Put the flag in a container and dispose of it in the trash or in some form of reuse. Boy Scouts of Glendale does accept flags for retirement ceremonies. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Everything a Scout Should Know About U.S. Flag Retirement How to Properly Dispose of an American Flag How to Retire Old Glory: Respect the Flag and the Environment https://www.va.gov/opa/publications/celebrate/flagfold.pdf Take to a Flag Disposal Box Many Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) posts and state and county government offices have official flag disposal boxes outside of their buildings. You can drop off any old or unwanted U.S. flags for respectful disposal. Take to an American Legion Most American Legions, VFWs and Boy Scout Troops will accept old flags and retire them respectfully in their next flag disposal ceremony. Drop Off at a Police Station Police stations also collect old flags for respectful disposal. Retiring Flags at Your Home A safe method to retire a flag at home is to bury it respectfully in a ceremony. Other respectful methods that can be done at home can be found here. Alternative Ways to Recycle Bring to a Textile Recycler Most flags are made from cloth that can be taken to a textile recycler to be recycled with other worn out clothing and textiles. Some major clothing recyclers include Goodwill, The Salvation Army, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Savers and American Textile Recycling Service. Ways to Reuse Donate to a Cemetery or Funeral Home Flags that are still in usable condition can be donated to a national cemetery or funeral home. Donate to Stars for Our Troops Mail unwanted 3’ x 5’ flags with embroidered stars to Stars for Our Troops. They cut out the stars and mail them to active military, veterans and first responders as a show of support and respect. Did You Know? The American Flag’s Birthday Flag Day is a holiday honoring the first official U.S. flag on June 14, 1777. Over its lifetime, between 1777-1960, there have been at least 27 versions of the flag. The Oldest and Newest Flags of the World Denmark holds the record for the oldest continuously-used flag in the world, with its white Scandinavian cross on a red background dating back to 1625. The title of the newest flag in the world goes to Mauritania, a country in Africa, who changed its flag to include two red stripes in 2017.
