London Constructs World's Largest Union Jack Out of Recycled Clothes

In the aftermath of the Olympics, London was not quite ready to give up the spotlight. In East London's West Ham Park, the Oxfam International federation and UK clothier, Marks and Spencer (M&S) constructed the world's largest Union Jack (measuring 65-ft across) out of discarded clothing as a part of an initiative to support a UK-wide clothing recycling program. Volunteers used more than 2,000 red, white and blue donated garments to form the flag. M&S used this demonstration to encourage consumers to invest in its new "schwopping" program - a buy one, donate one incentive. The clothes used in the flag will be reused and resold by Oxfam.

If the UK can do it, why can't we? In the U.S. alone last year, more than 100 million pounds of clothing and shoes was recycled through Planet Aid. And that is only a small portion of what could be recycled - the U.S. currently recycles about 15% of discarded textiles. We can clearly recycle much more, and help the planet and its people in so many ways. Planet Aid has more than 16,000 conveniently located bins nationwide ready to accept recycled clothing and shoes. Imagine the American flag we could build with our red, white and blue garments AND shoes! Use our bin locator on our homepage to find the bin near you today. Read the full article about the Union Jack.