Taiwan is moving to ban the distribution of free plastic shopping bags in an effort to cut down on pollution, officials at the Environmental Protection agency say.

A law that is expected to be passed later this month will begin by stopping government agencies, schools and the military from distributing free plastic bags.

The ban will later be expanded to include supermarkets, fast food outlets and department stores.

Some 16-million plastic bags are given away daily in Taiwan.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service