Happy Independence Day! Today in the United States we will be celebrating our independence and we thought it would be a great time to discuss what to do with your old worn out American flags. If your flag is made out of wool or cotton then burning them following a retirement ceremony is the best method to use. You can drop off your worn flags at your local American Legion or contact your local Boy Scout or Girl Scout counsel for help with disposing of your worn flags. Many flags are now made of nylon. The burning of nylon flags is really not a great idea. It producing a harmful gas. There is a new process available that  takes virtually all of the material in the old flag and makes it available for producing new flags. The flags can still be retired in a respectful manner and used to create new flags.

We first read about this method in Boys’ Life: The Official Publication of the Boy Scouts of America. You can learn about where to send  your flags for respectful recycling here.