German Development Minister Gerd Müller has called for a ban on plastic bags in Germany, in part to reduce the export of waste to developing countries. "The ban on plastic straws is not enough," Müller told the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper. "Germany should not wait for Europe and should immediately ban disposable plastic bags." Müller gave the go-ahead for Germany to join a new international waste alliance, to which 30 companies, research institutions and organizations already belong. Among them Nestlé and Coca-Cola, several universities and the environmental group WWF. The alliance is called "Prevent."