Ok, how do I properly dispose of a worn out US flag?
There are several proper ways, but here's one:
Option 3: Recycle the flag yourself
At the retirement ceremony, you can cut up your flag using an approved technique that doesn’t cut through the blue star field. When a flag has been cut up, it is no longer officially a flag.
Here is one method:
Stretch out the corners of the flag.
Cut the flag in half, vertically — do not cut into the blue star field.
Place the two halves together and cut in half, horizontally.
You will have four pieces of flag, one being the blue star field and the other three red and white stripes.
Put the flag in a container and dispose of it properly.
And another:
Option 2: Burn the flag to retire it
A popular way to retire a worn-out American Flag is by burning it. Page 76 of the BSA Handbook says, “A national flag that is worn beyond repair may be burned in a fire. The ceremony should be conducted with dignity and respect and the flag burned completely to ashes.”
PRO: Method preferred by U.S. Flag Code and BSA Handbook. Usually the most ceremonial and solemn method.
CON: Worst option for the environment and your Scouts’ health. Unlike the cotton and wool flags made in the early 20th century, today’s flags are made out of petroleum-based materials like nylon. Burning nylon is different from burning cotton or wool and can create hazardous gas.
Those two suggestions come from here:
Four options for retiring worn-out American flags
Do a web search....there are other methods, but of prime concern is the dignity of the ceremony.
Was disappointed that the purple martins and swallows did not appear while I was rustling up a bunch of grasshoppers and leafhoppers for them. I don't think they've flown south yet, although a number of our hummingbirds are already gone.
