Editorial: SA needs plastic bag ban

SAN ANTONIO – More than 150 communities in the U.S., including some here in Texas, have banned plastic bags.
It's easy to see why when you consider only 11 percent get recycled. The rest blow into trees, waterways and streets while damaging the environment.
San Antonio has already tried a bag-recycling program that failed.
A new program starts in August and the city is considering our own ban as well.
Grocery stores bear the brunt of angry customers who expect free plastic bags.
But we can't ignore the $1.3 million San Antonio spends every year to clean up plastic bags.
While a ban is one idea, it's not going to completely erase plastic litter.
Why not do something about plastic water bottles too? Every second, the U.S. uses about 1,500 of them, and less than 30 percent are recycled.
Reusable bags and bottles would go a long way toward keeping our city and environment a little cleaner.
I'm Phil Lane. Let us know what you think.


About the Author:

David Ibañez has been managing editor of KSAT.com since the website's launch in October 2000.