Collection program in Prince William retires thousands of American flags

On Sept. 11, an estimated 4,500 U.S. Flags were retired in a dignified manner.

These flags were collected as part of a Boy Scout program at the Prince William County Landfill and Balls Ford Compost Facility.

“We had the honor of retiring 1240 pounds of flag,” said Prince William County American Flag Collection Program Founder David Byrne.

He and his two sons, Jake and Thomas, took the flags to the Fairfax County Energy Resource Recovery Facility, where staff at the facility provided support for the retirement process.

Residents and organizations may drop off their torn and tattered flags at one of the two Solid Waste Division sites in Prince William County.

Each site has a special collection bin which has been built and donated as part of a Boy Scout Eagle Project. Flags deposited into the bins are collected throughout the year and processed for retirement. This includes distributing the flags to local scout units to be separated based on their material.

Cotton and polyester flags are folded and retired by these units because they burn cleanly. The flags are retired in a solemn ceremony. Nylon flags emit toxic fumes when burned so they are separated and retired by incineration one to two times a year.

Covanta, the organization that runs the Fairfax County Energy Resource Recovery Facility and a partner of the Scouts’ program since 2019, has adopted a special process to ensure a respectful retirement of all flags presented.

In this process, the flags are loaded into a special carrier, typically in plastic bags to ensure they drop properly into the incinerator. They are then taken by elevator to a special section of the incinerator to avoid them being comingled with refuse. The flags are personally escorted throughout the entire process.

The county’s American Flag Collection Program is a joint venture between the Prince William District Boy Scouts, Keep Prince William Beautiful, and Prince William County Solid Waste Division. The program has retired over 20,000 U.S. flags since its inception in 2014.

“I would like to personally thank Mr. Lorenzo Irving and the staff at the Covanta facility for their help in making this possible,” said Byrne. “The gentlemen that assist loading the flags are always respectful and professional in their efforts to maintain a dignified process for retiring the flags.”

The Prince William County American Flag Collection Program is open during normal operating hours at the landfill and Balls Ford Road sites.