ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — For a lot of folks, the Fourth of July could be a reason to get a new American flag, but that raises the question: “What do you do with your old, worn-down flag?”
In St. Johns County, they’re providing drop boxes to make sure those flags are retired with the honor and respect they deserve.
“He was at Tillman Ridge transfer station and noticed American flags were getting thrown away with the household garbage," said St. Johns County Solid Waste Outreach Coordinator Matthew Denny. "That just didn’t sit well.”
Denny said the American Flag Rescue Program started five years ago when a solid waste employee saw the need for a way for flags to be respectfully retired.
A group of volunteers set up drop boxes around the county to collect the old and tattered flags.
“There was a huge demand," Denny said. "Now, we’re at almost 12,000 American flags that have been retired by this program.”
The volunteers bring the flags to the VFW once a month for a decommissioning program.
“The interesting ones are the huge American flags from car dealerships," said Denny. "We’ll sometimes get those shoved into the boxes, so the VFW will have to cut them and find a way to decommission those as well.”
Solid Waste saves any flags that are still in serviceable condition to give out to the public.
There are 35 drop boxes around St. Johns County to make sure everyone has access when they’re ready to say goodbye to an old flag.
“Every library, most county buildings, tax collectors office, as well as every Ace Hardware around St. Johns County, so hopefully not too far for you," said Denny.