HOW TO PROPERLY DISPOSE OF OLD LICENSE PLATES

Whether you’ve bought a new car, moved to a different state, or you have some old personalized license plates hanging around, you may find yourself looking to dispose of them. While it’s tempting to simply throw them in the trash, license plates are made of aluminium, making them an excellent candidate to end up in a landfill. So what do you do? We’re going to take you through how to properly dispose of old license plates, by sharing some of our favorite ideas with you.

License Plates As Collector’s Items

There are many collectors out there who are looking to collect vintage license plates, as well as those from different states. If you’re looking to make a little money off of your old license plates, selling them to the highest bidder may be your best bet.

Recycle Nation tells us more on what collectors are looking for when it comes to license plates and how you can go about selling them:

“While rare, older license plates are likely to sell for the most money, it is possible to sell more modern plates. Some collectors are interested in gathering a plate from every county in a state. Artists may need plates with certain colors for projects. Check with antique stores in your area to see if they will take older plates. eBay is a great place to sell old license plates, but not new ones. The online auction site prohibits the sale of “current vehicle license plates and plates that look like current license plates.” If you want to dispose of newer plates you may need to give them to friends or network with local artists and collectors to see if they are interested.”

Recycle Your Old License Plates

While license plates should not be thrown in the trash, they can in fact be recycled. While you may not necessarily be able to drop them in your curbside bin, license plates are made of a fully recyclable material.

Earth 911 explains how you can recycle your old license plates:

“If you just want to get rid of your old license plates, it’s always a good idea to recycle them. Our license plates are now made from aluminum, so they are a highly recyclable material. Check with your local recycling program to see what to do with old license plates before dropping them in your curbside recycling bin — not all programs allow you to put your aluminum license plates in the recycling bin for curbside collection.”

Upcycle Your Old License Plates

Upcycling your old license plates is a great alternative to disposing of them, with a variety of creative options available. Upcycling is an ideal way to breathe new life into any object that you can no longer find a use for, and your old license plates are no exception.

eTags.com gives us their favorite ways in order to recycle old license plates:

“…there are other ways to recycle your license plates by putting them to creative use. For example, you can cut out the numbers and alphabets in the plates and use them in making signs and key chains. You can also use them to craft some fancy pieces of artwork like wall-hung items such as clocks. You can also make a little extra cash by selling them to antiques shops that specialize in collecting old license plates.”

We offer a wide variety of waste disposal options, including how to correctly recycle your old license plates, with services readily available online. Reach out to us to see what we can offer you.