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.