NEW DELHI (AP) — The government of India's capital is hoping that a strict ban on plastic bags will help the environment.

An engineer with Delhi's government says that starting next week, the manufacture and sale of all types of plastic sheets and bags will be banned in the city, citing their environmental dangers.

B.M.S Reddy said Wednesday that the ban will include shopping bags, garbage bags and all kinds of plastic film and storage packets. Only plastic bags required for medical waste will be exempt.

In 2009, Delhi banned the use of plastic shopping bags, but authorities have had little success enforcing the ban.

Plastic bags also pose a risk to the thousands of cows that roam the city and end up swallowing them while foraging for food in Delhi's open garbage dumps.