Germany plans a law to ban the use of plastic bags because voluntary agreements with retailers to curb usage have not yielded good enough results, Environment Minister Svenja Schulze said on Sunday.

¡°My ministry will get a plastic bag ban on its way,¡± she said, not giving a timetable for the plan, adding her aim was ¡°that we get out of the throw-away society and that overall, we use less plastic.¡±

Her remarks came after the Sunday daily Bild am Sonntag earlier on Sunday reported on her plans.

The European Union will outlaw certain single-use plastic products such as straws, forks and knives from 2021, but has allowed transition times for others.