Mr Garrett has acknowledged today's meeting of environment ministers in Melbourne will include robust discussion about whether a plastic bag levy should be imposed.

He told Channel Nine that the Federal Government remains firmly opposed to a levy and his aim for today is to convince his counterparts to agree.

"When we sit down with the states today we've got to come up with something which is nationally consistent which doesn't impose additional costs on families and which starts to see much less of these bags ending up in the litter stream," he said.

Victorian Environment Minister Gavin Jennings says he is inclined to support a levy on plastic bags, but says he is not convinced banning bags would be effective.

"A blanket ban assumes there are viable products already that are available to consumers at no cost," he said.

Greens Leader Senator Bob Brown has told Radio National a national levy on plastic bags is workable.

"I would expect there will be a phase-out or a prohibition on the use of plastic bags at the check-out coming up, if not there should be a levy," he said.

"We know that's worked in Ireland, it will work in Australia, it just has to overcome the resistance of the big supermarket chains."

-abc.net.au