It is a state famed in popular imagination for its oil barons, rugged ranchers and gun-slinging, God-fearing Republican leaders.

Yet, against the odds, Texas has emerged as a remarkable flashpoint in America’s battle on plastics pollution, as ranchers speak out against the damaging impact of plastic waste on their cattle – only to be met by a fierce lobbying campaign. 

One city’s fight against plastic bags has gone all the way to the state’s Supreme Court, with potentially huge implications for the 28 million people who live in the vast region.

Laredo banned plastic bags in June 2014, and ever since has been at loggerheads with shopkeepers, who activists suspect are being supported by the powerful…

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