Beginning February 1st, 2001 the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles began issuing new Empire State license plates to 10 million registered vehicles. The new plate features a graphic image showing the state from Niagara Falls to the Adirondacks to New York City. The Department of Motor Vehicles will mail new license plates to vehicle owners as their vehicle registration expires. The mailing of new plates will continue for two years.

The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles is promoting the recycling of old license plates. Over 20 million license plates will be available to recycle. That's over 2000 tons of recyclable aluminum and steel. Most of the new license plates are aluminum, however, plates made before 1986 are steel. Both types of license plates can be recycled.

Residents of Oneida and Herkimer Counties can place their old Lady Liberty vehicle license plates with their container recyclables upon receipt of their new plates. Vehicle owners will be able to recycle their old license plates by placing them with their recyclable metal, glass and plastic containers. Individuals can safely bend them in half, or mark them using a permanent marker. For additional security, residents can recycle one plate a week to render them useless.