In order to comply with EU directives aimed at reducing the amount of plastic waste in the environment.

Germany will ban the sale of all disposable plastic straws, cotton balls and food containers. The German cabinet on Wednesday agreed to end the sale of plastic products in multiple categories, including disposable tableware, plates, stir bars and balloon holders, as well as polystyrene cups and boxes, by July 3, 2021

German Environment Minister Svenja Schultz said the move was to bid farewell to "one-off culture." Up to 20% of the garbage collected in parks and other public places in Germany is disposable plastic, mainly polystyrene containers.

It takes decades for plastic to degrade, and biologists and environmentalists have discovered tiny plastic particles in fish, birds and other animals in recent years. The EU has always been an active advocate of the ban on plastics.