• David Tewes •
• Originally published April 19, 2009 at 7:27 a.m., updated April 19, 2009 at 7:27 a.m.

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• Paper or plastic - or something else?

  The debate continues over the white plastic grocery bags that seem to have become a permanent part of Victoria's scenery.

  Some would like to ban them. Others would like to tax them.

  But ...

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Paper or plastic - or something else?

The debate continues over the white plastic grocery bags that seem to have become a permanent part of Victoria's scenery.

Some would like to ban them. Others would like to tax them.

But the opposition to legislation believes educating people about how and where to recycle the bags is the answer.

Victoria could impose a ban on plastic grocery bags that litter the city's landscape, but one environmentalist said that's not the answer.

"One of the surest ways to fail is to legislate good behavior," said Joni Brown, executive director of Keep Victoria Beautiful. "What we've got to do is modify the way we think and the way we respond to plastic bags."

That means encouraging people to recycle their plastic bags and to use reusable green bags.

Brown, past chairwoman for the state of Texas Alliance for Recycling, said that organization has studied what can be done about the plastic grocery bags. A ban sounds like a good idea and probably would help clean up the environment, she said.

But the petrochemical industry could be the biggest contributor to the tax base in Texas. "Petrochemicals are what they use to make the plastic bags."

Victoria Mayor Will Armstrong said he doesn't think he could support a ban on the plastic grocery bags.

"I think it's the people that are the problem," he said. "I would like the people to be more conscious of their environment."

There are also economic considerations, he said.

"This may be the plastic bag manufacturing capital of the world," Armstrong said. "I think it's very important that we go to the source of the trash, rather than pick out one commodity and focus on it because of its high visibility."

That's why he supports educating the public about the problem instead of going to legislation.

Director Shari Jackson with the Progressive Bag Affiliates of the American Chemistry Council said the industry also opposes legislation banning or taxing plastic grocery bags.

"We've found that a number of jurisdictions have looked at this issue and at the best way to manage waste," she said. "They have considered bans. They have considered taxes, and the majority of them have decided recycling was a good option."

The industry also endorses a comprehensive approach to reduce excess bagging, including asking people to use reusable bags and to use recycled bags.

Some are not aware the plastic grocery bags are recyclable or where they can take them to have them recycled, Jackson said.

The industry has created a database to help people find locations in their communities that take bags for recycling. It's available at www.plasticbagrecycling.org.

No Victoria locations are listed on the Web page. The city of Victoria does not accept the plastic grocery bags, but the H-E-B stores do.

"Once we help them understand better that this is a recyclable product and it's very easy for you to recycle, more people are willing to do that," Jackson said.

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