The Senate approved a bill in late February that would prohibit cities and counties from imposing a ban on the use of plastic bags.

Bans on the use of plastic bags for groceries, for example, exist in cities across the country, including Los Angeles and Chicago, while other governments are considering adding fees to plastic bag use.

“Plastic bags have a negative impact on our waterways, which is plainly evident on the Chattahoochee and the network of creeks and streams in the river basin,” said Duncan Hughes, headwaters outreach director for the nonprofit Chattahoochee Riverkeeper. “Carried by heavy rains, you can see hundreds of these bags in tree branches and shrubs along our river and stream banks.”