Yet paper bags can be made from recycled material, a more environmentally friendly process, Hershkowitz said. And simply recycling plastic bags that will be used for other means, like decking, will not reduce the number produced each year, he said.

Some of the industry's largest plastic-bag producers say they are taking steps to address consumer concerns about their products.

Hilex Poly Co., a South Carolina firm that sells about 30 billion bags annually, has set up a recycling facility to reprocess bags collected at grocers such as some Kroger and A&P stores. Hilex is selling a bag that will degrade after being exposed to air and sun for several weeks, breaking down into carbon dioxide and water.

David Pastrich, the company's president, said the shift was largely driven by customer demand, the surge of anti-bag legislation, and the fact that plastic bags were becoming synonymous with litter for many people.

"If nobody wanted this, we wouldn't invest money in it," he said. "We want to be on the right side of the environmental threshold."

---

Contributing: Laura Hancock, Deseret Morning News