Department of Motor Vehicles

Do not return your old plates to DMV. Destroy your old plates so that they cannot be reused. If your plates are not destroyed and someone else uses them, you could be held responsible for any traffic tickets written against the plates and for any fines resulting from the tickets.  When destroying the old plates, we recommend that you use a permanent ink marker to cross out the plate number or otherwise deface the plates. 

Your old plates are considered to be scrap metal and you can recycle them at your local scrap metal yard or recycling drop-off station.  For more information, visit Recycle Right New York.