FLC OF AN MLG DECLARED AN EMER AND RETURNED TO LAND SHORTLY AFTER DEP DUE TO SMOKE IN THE CABIN. POSTFLT INSPECTION FOUND A PIECE OF RUBBER MOLDING TAPE THAT HAD COME LOOSE FROM THE WING AND WAS INGESTED IN THE L ENG.

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DEP AND INITIAL CLB TO 5000 FT WAS NORMAL AND UNEVENTFUL. WE HAD JUST RESUMED OUR CLB AND WERE PASSING 6500 FT MSL WHEN THE 'A' FLT ATTENDANT CAME INTO THE COCKPIT AND TOLD US THERE WAS SMOKE FILLING THE AFT CABIN AND POSSIBLE FIRE IN THE LAVATORIES. SHE ADVISED US THAT THE 'C' FLT ATTENDANT AND THE 'B' FLT ATTENDANT WERE IN THE REAR OF THE ACFT WITH FIRE EXTINGUISHERS CHKING OUT THE SIT AND WOULD LET US KNOW MORE SHORTLY. WE IMMEDIATELY DECIDED TO RETURN TO PIT AND THE FO DECLARED AN EMER AND REQUESTED AN IMMEDIATE RETURN TO THE ARPT. THE DEP CTLR ACKNOWLEDGED AND ISSUED ILS INFO AND BEGAN VECTORING US FOR THE ILS RWY 28R. DURING THE APCH THE FLT ATTENDANTS UPDATED THE SIT IN THE CABIN WHICH CHANGED RAPIDLY. THEY QUICKLY DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS NO FIRE IN THE LAVATORIES AND THAT THE FIRE WAS IN THE TAIL CONE AREA AND THAT THIS WAS ALSO THE SOURCE OF THE CABIN SMOKE. AFTER FURTHER ASSESSMENT; THE FLT ATTENDANTS DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS NO FIRE AND THAT THE SMOKE WAS DISSIPATING. THE FO AND I DECIDED THAT THE TRUE SIT WAS STILL UNKNOWN AND THAT THE SMOKE WAS MOST PROBABLY DISSIPATING DUE TO THE FACT THAT WE HAD DEPRESSURIZED THE ACFT BY FULLY OPENING THE OUTFLOW VALVE. AS WE BROKE OUT ON FINAL THE TWR NOTIFIED US THAT THERE APPEARED TO BE SMOKE TRAILING THE ACFT. WE THEN MADE THE DECISION TO EVAC THE ACFT UPON LNDG. WE NOTIFIED BOTH THE TWR AND OUR FLT ATTENDANTS. AS WE APCHED THE ARPT AT ABOUT 500 FT AGL THE TWR CALLED AND TOLD US THAT THEY COULD NOT SEE ANYTHING (SMOKE OR FIRE) COMING FROM THE ACFT. AS WE NOW HAD NO CONFIRMATION OF SMOKE OR FIRE WE QUICKLY CANCELED THE EVAC ORDER AND DECIDED TO HAVE THE EMER CREWS VISUALLY INSPECT THE ACFT AFTER LNDG AND BEFORE MAKING A DECISION TO EVAC. WE LANDED UNEVENTFULLY; STOPPING ON THE TXWY WHERE THE EMER EQUIP WAS WAITING. THEY QUICKLY SURROUNDED THE ACFT AND TOLD US THAT THERE WAS NO VISUAL INDICATION OF SMOKE OR FIRE. WE THEN TERMINATED THE EMER AND TAXIED TO THE GATE. UPON ARR WE INSPECTED THE ACFT AND FOUND OUT THAT SOME RUBBERIZED TAPE; ABOUT 3 INCHES WIDE AND RUNNING ALONG THE SEAM BTWN THE L WING AND FUSELAGE HAD SEPARATED AND WAS HANGING FROM THE WING. IT APPEARED THAT A LARGE PIECE OF THIS MATERIAL WAS TORN OFF AND WE NOW ASSUME THAT IT HAD ENTERED THE L ENG CAUSING THE SMOKE AND THE SMELL OF BURNING RUBBER.