The City of Knoxville is joining with Knox County and several businesses and organizations to sponsor a flag retirement ceremony on Flag Day, Saturday, June 14.
This seventh annual event will be conducted during the Flag Day program presented by the Knoxville Elks Lodge, B.P.O.E. #160, at 6000 Lonas Road beginning at 1 p.m.
The worn, tattered flags and otherwise unserviceable flags will then be respectfully destroyed by members of Company D, 4th Combat Engineer Battalion, United States Marine Corps Reserve.
The preferred method for properly retiring worn flags under federal law is burning and the flags will be placed on a ceremonial pyre and set ablaze. This year's ceremony will honor the men and women of the armed forces who have been prisoners of war or listed as missing in action during the nation's wars and conflicts.
The City of Knoxville has a program to collect tattered American flags on behalf of its citizens for proper retirement.
If someone has an old or unusable American Flag that is no longer fit for display they can place it in a clear plastic bag and leave it on top of their garbage containers on the day of their regular trash pickup.
Waste Connections, the city’s contractor for household garbage collections, will deliver the flags to the city.
“We’re very pleased to again provide our citizens with an opportunity to dispose of these flags, many of which they have proudly flown over their homes or businesses for many years,” said Mayor Bill Haslam. “We’re also pleased to join with the Elks and the men and women of the Marine Corps reserves along with other organizations to sponsor this program.”
In addition to pickup by Waste Connections, flags may be brought to the Elks Lodge from noon to 1 p.m. before the ceremony on June 14.
Flags may also be dropped off at the eight Knox County Solid Waste and Recycling Convenience Centers; at Allen Signs at either its 2408 Chapman Highway or 8403 Kingston Pike locations; or at City of Knoxville Recycling Centers that includes a staffed Goodwill trailer including:
2217 Broadway (Broadway Shopping Center)
5003 Broadway (Fountain City Kroger)
Downtown Recycling Center, 400 State Street
4440 Western Avenue (I-640 Plaza)
4918 Kingston Pike (Knox Plaza)
225 W. Moody Avenue
Flags may also be dropped off at the Knox County Engineering and Public Works office at 205 West Baxter Avenue or at Keep Knoxville Beautiful at 100 South Gay Street, Suite 103.
In addition to the City of Knoxville and Knox County, sponsors include the Knoxville Elks Lodge; Company D, 4th Combat Engineer Battalion; Allen Sign Company; Keep Knoxville Beautiful and WBIR-TV, Channel 10.