Fairview American Legion Installs Flag Disposal Box

The post aims to provide a respectful way for community members to retire old American flags.

Apr. 2, 2026 at 8:54pm

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A brightly colored, high-contrast silkscreen print of an American flag icon repeated in a tight grid pattern, utilizing flat, vibrant, and unnatural neon color palettes overlapping with heavy black photographic outlines to turn the iconic symbol into modern pop art.The American flag drop box at Fairview's American Legion Post 742 offers a respectful way for the community to retire old flags through the post's annual flag-burning ceremony.Fairview Today

American Legion Post 742 in Fairview, New Jersey has installed a drop box at the entrance of their building to allow community members to properly dispose of old American flags. The goal is to create an easy way for residents to retire their flags through a flag-burning ceremony held annually by the post, where they typically burn around 3,000 flags.

Why it matters

Properly disposing of American flags is an important ritual that shows respect for the flag and what it represents. The American Legion post's new drop box makes it more convenient for community members to participate in this tradition, rather than just throwing old flags away.

The details

The new flag drop box was installed at the entrance of American Legion Post 742 in Fairview. The post holds an annual flag-burning ceremony where they dispose of around 3,000 flags that have been collected throughout the year. Veteran and Sons of the American Legion member Dave Thompson emphasized the importance of not just throwing flags away, but going through the proper ceremonial disposal process.

  • The flag drop box was recently installed at American Legion Post 742.
  • The post holds an annual flag-burning ceremony once a year.

The players

American Legion Post 742

A local American Legion post in Fairview, New Jersey that has installed a flag drop box and holds an annual flag-burning ceremony.

Dave Thompson

A veteran and member of the Sons of the American Legion who spoke about the importance of properly disposing of American flags.

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What they’re saying

“It's respect for the flag. You don't just throw them away and do this and do that. We have a ceremony where we come in and different things are said at that time too to recognize the flag and what it stands for, and why it's discarded the way it is.”

— Dave Thompson, Veteran and Sons of the American Legion member

The takeaway

The new flag drop box at American Legion Post 742 provides a convenient way for Fairview residents to properly dispose of old American flags through the post's annual flag-burning ceremony, ensuring the flags are retired with the respect they deserve.