Richard Shirley talks about retiring a flag properly.


The Q:

Anderson County Clerk of Court Richard Shirley asked: "I have some OLD United States and South Carolina flags which once flew in front of the courthouse. I know community organizations like the American Legion or Boy Scouts conduct proper flag disposal ceremonies. Can you point me in the right direction?"

The A:

From those little flags you wave at a parade all the way up to the Big O Dodge flag, those community organizations, as well as the Veterans of Foreign Wars, have people who would gladly help to arrange a flag retirement.

But first things first, language is important.

There is a big difference between a flag burning and a flag retirement. Both involve fire but the intent of a flag burning is often as protest or a statement while a flag retirement is a solemn ceremony of respect as suggested by the nation's Flag Code.

Eric Maguire, an Air Force veteran and assistant scoutmaster with Boy Scout Troop 158 in Simpsonville, has helped retire hundreds of flags, including at least a half dozen from Big O Dodge in Greenville, which flies one of the largest flags in the Upstate. 

The Big O flags, when folded into neat triangles, no small task itself, measures about 4 feet on the side and is really heavy because of the size and the steel cables that help keep it relatively straight.

United States Flag Code does not specify how to properly dispose of a flag, beyond that it be respectful.


Historic flags are to be preserved but flags with 50 stars made out of nylon or polyester in the last few decades are typically retired rather than kept only to gather dust in a box.

Most flags today are made of nylon, which can give off toxic fumes when it is burned, said Thomas D'Amico, president of American Flags Express, a flag manufacturer.

His company recycles worn out American flags, turning the nylon into a yellow block that is sometimes sold to make new toys. In the last decade, he estimates that his company has recycled more than 100,000 flags. However, with the cost of petroleum dropping, it is cheaper for manufacturers to buy new nylon than recycled nylon so the flag recycling program may be changing early next year.

"Hopefully we can continue to recycle but we had gotten contributions to keep it going this year, we'll have to see about 2018," D'Amico said.

One option if recycling becomes too expensive is to use high temperature incinerators that have scrubbers to clean any toxic fumes. American flags would be put into the incinerator without any garbage or anything else because the most important part of a retirement for a flag is the respect, D'Amico said.

Local flag retirement ceremonies remain the most popular method.

Boy Scouts and veterans groups participate in flag retirement ceremonies, which range in complexity but generally include veterans and always are done with care, Maguire said.

He recommends contacting a local troop or veterans group so one single group is not overwhelmed with requests.

The Simpsonville troop takes the flag and separates it into several pieces, keeping the blue field intact and taking each stripe and putting it into an intense fire while accompanied with readings from scouts who often get credit for public speaking during the ceremonies.

The union, the blue part with the stars, is usually put into the fire last and generally by a veteran, Maguire said.

Other ceremonies include putting flags into wooden boxes before they are incinerated or folding the flag into a neat triangle before putting it onto an intense fire.

Another acceptable option is cutting the flag, in a respectful way that does not cut through the blue part. After the flag is cut, it is no longer considered a flag and can be disposed. This way avoids possibly toxic emissions from polyester flags.

The A Team will run regularly online and in print. Send your questions to or address a letter to the A Team at 1000 Williamston Road, Anderson, S.C., 29621. You can follow us on Twitter @MikeEllis_AIM, @Abe_Hardesty or @gsilvarole.

Follow a flag from being built at a South Carolina flag manufacturer through the process of retiring a flag with this story:

Find a local group to help retire a flag:


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