Plastic bags, cups, silverware and other types of one-use plastic have been banned in Delhi, India. The ban came into effect last month after increasing complaints due to the illegal but common practice of burning plastic which has contributed to health problems caused as a result of India’s immense amount of pollution.

According to the Ocean Crusaders and the Times of India, there are about 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic debris in the ocean, of that, India is believed to be responsible for 60 percent of the plastic dumped in the world’s oceans every year.

This ban signifies a huge step of environmental progress, not only for India but for the world. India is among the few countries which are currently taking steps to reduce plastic and restore the environment.

Although plastic takes millions if not billions of years to decompose, such efforts to limit the production, avoid one-time use plastics and recycle are some of the only actions that can be taken regarding plastic. Environmentalists hope that India’s plastic ban will inspire movements to create a greener society, raise awareness about the negative effects of plastic and push the governments of other nations to accept plastic as a real problem and follow India’s example.