Nov. 20 (Bloomberg) -- New Jersey would become the first U.S. state to ban the use of plastic grocery bags under a bill introduced in the Assembly yesterday.

The measure would require supermarkets and other retailers with a minimum of 10,000 square feet of space to phase out the use of the bags over three years. Each year as many as 1 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide, said Democratic Assemblyman Herb Conaway, a sponsor of the measure.

``Plastic bags may be cheap and convenient, but they have costly long-term environmental consequences that just can't be ignored,'' Conaway, a doctor, said in a statement. ``We need to get these bags out of the waste stream because they are polluting our soil and our water.''

In March, San Francisco became the first U.S. city to ban the use of plastic bags at large supermarkets. The neighboring city of Oakland has since done the same. In July, California enacted a law requiring large stores to take the bags back and encourage their recycling. The New York City Council has also considered a proposal calling for recycling of the sacks.

Several countries outside the U.S. have taken initiatives to cut down the use of plastic bags, the New Jersey lawmakers said. In 2002, Ireland introduced a tax on plastic bags, reducing their use by 90 percent, while some communities in Australia have banned them in retail stores since 2003, they said.

Litter Bags

Under the New Jersey legislation, large retail stores would have to reduce their use of plastic bags 50 percent by Dec. 31, 2009, and eliminate their use entirely by the end of 2010. The stores would have to provide recycling bins for collecting plastic bags and sell reusable shopping bags.

Plastic bags, introduced in 1977, account for 90 percent of grocery bags in the U.S, according to the statement of Conaway and his co-sponsor on the measure, fellow Democratic Assemblyman Jack Conners. The bags end up as litter, take longer to decompose in the environment than paper bags and harm wildlife, they said.

``The statistics on the number of these bags entering the environment are absolutely staggering,'' Conners said.

Donna Dempsey, managing director of the Progressive Bag Alliance, a Houston-based trade group representing plastic bag manufacturers, said requiring the recycling of the bags is a better move for the environment than banning them. She said her group has worked to raise awareness about recycling, and locales that initially proposed bans on plastic bags, including Annapolis, Maryland; Austin, Texas, and Philadelphia, have since opted to instead pursue stricter recycling standards.

Opposing Bans

``We just don't think bans make sense,'' she said.

Alex Dmitriew, the assistant recycling coordinator in San Francisco, said that city's new law is aimed at reducing plastic waste at about 52 large supermarkets in the Bay Area city. He said the city hopes eventually stores stop handing out bags, including those made of paper and biodegradable plastics.

``We hope people start bringing their own bags,'' he said. ``This isn't a paper or plastic issue.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Terrence Dopp in Trenton, New Jersey, at at tdopp@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: November 20, 2007 16:21 EST