High winds sent thousands of plastic bags contained in trash that was being buried in the Waste Management's Orchard Ridge Landfill into surrounding trees and fences near their facility in Menomonee Falls in February 2014. Credit: Michael Sears

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The plastic bag — popular, handy and readily available — has suffered a bit of a backlash, with some communities across the country looking for ways to clamp down on them.

GOP lawmakers in Madison have watched developments in other states and are trying to head off any future local initiatives that would restrict the use of the bags and a variety of other "single-use" containers.

A bill likely to be taken up this week by the state Senate would prohibit communities from banning plastic bags.

There are no restrictions on them now in Wisconsin.

The bill has already been approved by the Assembly, by a 63-35 vote.

The Senate will meet for what is expected to be its final time of the year on Tuesday. Leaders have not yet said what measures they plan to take up, but final session days tend to be long as legislators seek to put their favored bills — some controversial, some mundane — into law.

Among the issues that could come up are proposals by Gov. Scott Walker to address college affordability. But Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) has said on WKOW-TV in Madison that senators are unlikely to take up one Walker idea that would make more interest on college debt tax deductible.

Senators are also debating whether to take up legislation to help people with dementia and penalize local governments if they adopt so-called sanctuary city policies for illegal immigrants.

Plastic bags and other containers have attracted attention in recent years because of their potential to be a source of litter, pollute water and harm wildlife.

Retailers and business groups, however, are concerned that bans on bags in individual communities would lead to a patchwork of regulation and higher business costs.

Senate Bill 601 would restrict a town, village, city or county from regulating "containers" made of plastic, paper, cardboard, metal and glass.

This would prohibit a community from regulating single use bags at retail locations, including restaurants. Communities also could not impose fees or surcharges on plastic bags and containers.

"Most of the time, government is reactive and we are trying to be proactive," said Sen. Roger Roth (R-Appleton), the chief sponsor in the Senate. "This could be very burdensome."

Bill G. Smith, state director of the Wisconsin chapter the National Federation of Independent Business, agreed.

For smaller businesses with several locations, "it could be a dramatic increase in costs," Smith said.

Even though no Wisconsin communities are considering bans on bags and other containers, the issue has attracted attention.

In Eau Claire, the City Council voted in 2013 on a plan to cut the use of disposable bags, but the measure came under fire and is on hold.

Nationally, however, communities are restricting the use of bags and others are considering limits.

In Chicago, an ordinance went into effect on Aug. 1 that banned the use of plastic bags from "chain" retail establishments, defined as three or more stores under a common ownership, or any store that is part of a franchise. There are limitations, however, and stores can still supply bags if, for example, they provide recyclable paper bags.

California was poised in July to be the first state to regulate single-use bags. But opposition mounted, and the measure will face a referendum this fall.

Among groups fighting limits on communities is the League of Wisconsin Municipalities. The association says it is philosophically opposed to the Legislature inserting itself into such local issues.

"We don't like to see the state interfere and take away those powers," said Curt Witynski, assistant director of the municipal group.

Numerous environmental groups have lined up against the limits and say communities should be able to control bags and other containers that can end up littering roadways, sticking to the limbs of trees and becoming a source of pollution.

A 2013 study by the U.S. Geological Survey of local streams and rivers and the Milwaukee Harbor found an array of pollutants in water samples, including endocrine disrupting chemicals, which can harm developmental, reproductive and immune systems in humans and wildlife.

The endocrine disrupting chemicals can leach from plastic bottles and plastic bags in the water, according to one of the authors of the study.

Roth, the state senator, said there are environmental reasons to support the wide use of plastic bags. He cited data from an industry group that supports the manufacture and recycling of plastic bags that shows a canvas bag must be used at least 131 times before its carbon footprint is less than a common plastic grocery bag.

Plastic bags are recyclable in Wisconsin, and an amendment to the bill ensures that any law change would not affect recycling.

About 12% of the plastic bags and other types of plastic film are recycled in the United States, according to the state Department of Natural Resources.

Patrick Marley of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report from Madison.