San Francisco has banned the use of non-biodegradable plastic bags by large grocery stores and pharmacies. Could New York State be next?

State Senator Jim Alesi is drafting a law that would require businesses to phase out the bags.

What may be most curious about the New York proposal is that Alesi is the one making it. Some environmentalists have criticized his voting record. During the 2006 election season, Environmental Advocates of New York gave Alesi a score of 68 out of 100 on environmental issues, ranking him lower than all other area Republicans and Democrats.

Alesi says his inspiration for the proposal came from talks with environmentalists about the state bottle bill. The discussions often touched on bottles lying along the side of the road. But, he said last week, he has noticed the same things about plastic bags. The bags, he said, could be a far worse form of pollution.

"All you have to do is look around almost anywhere, in trees, bushes," Alesi said.

Alesi's proposal would require businesses to use 50 percent fewer plastic bags by 2010, and he'd like to see their use eliminated by 2012.

There would be no penalties for businesses not meeting the 2010 goal, but the state could pursue "cease and desists actions" for businesses not meeting the 2012 requirement. He'll work with industry groups to draft the bill, he said.

Under his proposal, biodegradable synthetic bags would be an option for businesses, Alesi said. Those are more expensive than traditional plastic bags, he conceded. But, he said, the bags would help reduce oil dependence. Traditional plastic bags are made using petroleum.

Wegmans has been offering customers a choice between plastic and paper for years. Plastic's the most popular by far, says spokesperson Jeanne Collelouri. Chainwide, Wegmans customers use 74 million plastic bags a week --- and 338,000 paper bags. Wegmans has bins at its stores for customers to return the bags. They're sent to a central location, along with other plastic cast-offs (shrink wrap from delivery pallets, for instance). There, they're made into plastic guardrails, plastic plywood, and more plastic bags.

But Wegmans is trying to encourage customers to use reusable bags ---large shopping bags made of a synthetic material --- which it recently began selling for 99 cents with a Shopper's Club Card.

Wegmans officials haven't seen Alesi's proposal, Collelouri said last week, and couldn't comment on it. "At this point, we're offering the customers the three different options and letting them decide how they want to do their shopping," Collelouri said.

In San Francisco, stores will be allowed to use paper bags as well as a new type of corn-based plastic bags, which break down easier. Collelouri says Wegmans is aware of their existence but hasn't used them.

A spokesperson for Environmental Advocates of New York declined comment on the Alesi bill until it's drafted.