New York Laws
Title 10 - Litter and Solid Waste Control
27-1001 - Legislative Findings.

The legislature hereby finds that litter composed of discarded
beverage containers is a growing problem of state concern and a direct
threat to the health and safety of the citizens of this state. Discarded
beverage containers create a hazard to vehicular traffic, a source of
physical injury to pedestrians and farm animals, a hazard to farm and
other machinery and an unsightly accumulation of litter which must be
disposed of at increasing public expense. Beverage containers also
create an unnecessary addition to the state's and municipalities'
already overburdened solid waste and refuse disposal systems.
Unsegregated disposal of such containers creates an impediment to the
efficient operation of resource recovery plants. Further, the
legislature finds that the uninhibited discard of beverage containers
constitutes a waste of both mineral and energy resources. The
legislature hereby finds that requiring a deposit on all beverage
containers, along with certain other facilitating measures, will provide
a necessary incentive for the economically efficient and environmentally
benign collection and recycling of such containers.