Plastic "L" (Learner) and "P" (Provisional) driver plates can often be seen in NSW on the roadside and in the gutters as they too easily fall off cars. Boomerang is calling on the NSW government to change the requirement for Learner and Provisional plates to be on the exterior of the vehicle only; and to stop distributing low quality plastic plates which too often end up on the roads, which are then washed down the stormwater drains, becoming plastic pollution.

We are confident that the NSW government can offer better options. Even the cardboard L plates issued in the 1980's would be better. Durable plastic that could be passed from Learner Driver to Learner Driver or perhaps come up with a whole new idea such as recycled and recyclable aluminium plates!

Queensland offers a downloadable template; SA sells 'see-through plates' for inside the car window; ACT,  WA, Tasmania and Victoria simply require: "You must display L-plates so they are clearly visible from the front and back of the car you are driving." Magnetic plates, plate display brackets and plate clips are also available in most states and territories.

This is an easily preventable form of plastic pollution - and with your support, we look forward to NSW taking action to prevent it.

THESE ARE ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE TO LET THE GOVERNMENT KNOW THAT WE WANT THIS PLASTIC POLLUTION STOPPED! 

1. SIGN OUR PETITION

Boomerang Alliance is calling on the NSW government to change the requirement for Learner and Provisional plates to be on the exterior of the the vehicle only and to stop distributing low quality plastic plates. Please sign our petition on the right hand side of this page.

2. POST-A-PLATE

We encourage you to send any "L" or "P" driver plates that you find to Minister for Customer Service The Hon. Victor Dominello MP, Minister for Transport and Roads The Hon. Andrew Constance MP or Minister for Energy and Environment The Hon. Matt Kean MP, with a note asking for a change in the law that currently requires them to be on the exterior of the vehicle. Below are a couple of sample notes to give you an idea of what to write.

Wrap the plates in scrap paper, address them, stick on a stamp and send them to:

The Hon. Victor Dominello, MP
Minister for Customer Service, NSW Government
GPO Box 5341, SYDNEY NSW 2001

The Hon. Matt Kean, MP
Minister for Energy and Environment, NSW Government
GPO Box 5341, SYDNEY NSW 2001

The Hon. Andrew Constance, MP
Minister for Transport and Roads, NSW Government
GPO Box 5341, SYDNEY NSW 2001

Sample note 1

Dear Minisiter Dominello,

Freebie plastic "L" and "P" plates given out at Service NSW locations are creating plastic pollution as they regularly fall off vehicles, onto the road and wash into stormwater drains. Please change the law that requires them to be on the exterior of the vehicle (other states eg. SA allow internal "see through" versions) and RE-THINK the cheap brittle plastic they are made of. We can do better than this.

Kind regards,
(name)

(don't forget to add your return address so that the minister can write back to you)

Sample note 2

Dear Minister Matt Kean,

I am sick of seeing lost "L" and "P" plates on the road. They break into lots of little pieces of plastic and wash down the stormwater drains. Please RE-THINK the design of these plates - free "L" plates could be cardboard; "P" plates could be aluminium - totally recyclable! I will keep posting them to you until we get something better in NSW.

Look forward to hearing of a change.

Kind regards,
(name)

(don't forget to add your return address so that the minister can write back to you)

Information on Learner and Provisional plates display in other states

In July 2017 Environment Ministers are meeting to discuss what to do about plastic bags.

Tasmania, the ACT, The Northern Territory and South Australia have already banned single use plastic bags and Queensland is introducing a ban in July 2018.

We're making sure when they meet that the NSW, Victorian and WA Ministers know there is huge community support for taking action on plastic bags. We've joined with 49 community and environment groups, representing thousands of members, to write an open letter demanding greater action. Add your name to the open letter today to let the ministers know you support a ban on plastic bags.  

There is increasing evidence that even though a small percentage of bags are littered and then broken up into smaller and smaller pieces – they have a devastating impact on the environment. This includes so called ‘biodegradable’ bags, which are just as dangerous in the marine environment.

With the CSIRO Marine Debris Report 2014 estimating there are over 124 billion individual pieces of visible plastic littering the Australian coastline – and a large legacy of plastic from previous years becoming microplastic – action needs to be taken on multiple fronts.

Plastic pollution is a major threat to wildlife. Globally it is estimated that 1 million sea birds and over 100,000 mammals die every year as a result of plastic ingestion or entanglement. Of great concern are the secondary microplastics derived from broken up bags and bottles.

We estimate that some 180 million bags enter the Australian environment every year.

Read the full letter and our policy recommendations here

Thanks to our partners who joined the open letter.