Flag Retirement Available at County Solid Waste Facilities

June 14 is Flag Day.  This is the day the United States celebrates the adoption of “the Stars and Stripes” as the nation’s official flag.

Prince William County residents can show their appreciation and respect for this beloved symbol by bringing old or tattered American flags to the Prince William County Landfill or the Balls Ford Road Compost facility during normal hours of operation to be properly retired by local Scout groups.

“The flag collection center provides an easy and convenient way for residents and businesses to turn in their flags so that they can properly be retired by the Scouts,” says Deborah Campbell, Communications Analyst for the Solid Waste Division. “This is a free service provided by the troops.”

Local Boy Scout troops collect the flags from the American Flag Collection Center bin and ensure that they are properly folded and ceremonially retired. Flag retirement is a long-standing American tradition of respectfully and reverently burning flags that are no longer fit to be flown.

The American Flag Collection Center was initiated by members of the Boy Scouts of America Occoquan and Bull Run Districts, Keep Prince William Beautiful, and the Prince William County Solid Waste Division. Since its inception in 2014, tens of thousands of flags have been retired through this partnership.

On Flag Day, inspect your current flag.  If the American Flag flying at your home or business is faded, torn, tattered or frayed, then it should be replaced. Drop off the old one at the county’s American Flag Collection Center. 

Flags are accepted at both the Prince William Landfill and the Balls Ford Road Compost Facility. Both facilities are open Monday-Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Visit www.pwcva.gov for holiday hours and other Solid Waste Division programs and services.