Public Services Division

Codes Enforcement Office

Solid Waste Office

Keep Knoxville Beautiful

Annual Flag Retirement Ceremony set for Saturday, June 14th Our nation's flag flies boldly from homes, offices, and automobiles. Many of these flags, however, are beginning to show the ill effects of time, wind and weather. As they are replaced, their owners are faced with the dilemma of what to do with them. [NEWS RELEASE]

Mayor Bill Haslam wants Knoxvillians to remember that the city has a program for Knoxvillians to properly dispose of their American flags. City residents can place their old unusable flags in clear plastic bags or obtain designated plastic bags in which to put their flags, to be picked up along with their regular garbage service.

One of the administration’s goals is to have cleaner neighborhoods," said Mayor Haslam. "We are giving our citizens an opportunity to do their civic duty while also lessening what is going into our landfills and eliminating potential littering. Our public service employees have found flags everywhere, including in our creeks."

Public Law 94-344, known as the Flag Code, prescribes that the flag, when it is in such a condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning. However, this process is not feasible for most city residents.

Allen Sign and Waste Connections have partnered with the City for the flag disposal program, which started the first of June 1999.

The procedure is as follows:

City residential garbage customers can place their flags in clear plastic bags or call Allen Sign at 573-3524 to be sent a special plastic bag. The bagged flags are to be placed on top of the garbage containers on the regular pick-up day.

Flags can also be dropped off at the manned recycling "supercenters," which are at the following locations:

Kroger Stores