Agricultural activities have been positively affected by the use of plastic products, but this has resulted in the production of plastic waste and led to an increase in environmental pollution. To continue benefiting from the use of plastics but addressing at the same time the environmental issue, two strategies seem viable: the development of technologies for extending plastics lifespan and the gradual replacement of traditional non-biodegradable materials by biodegradable ones, at least for some products. This study focuses on a territorial analysis, performed using a Geographic Information System (GIS) in an agricultural area of the Apulia region (southern Italy). Areas of agricultural plastic waste production were identified through land-use maps. The application of plastic waste indices to different crop types and plastic products allowed quantifying and georeferencing actual plastic waste production. From this actual visualization, the other strategies were obtained by properly managing the indices. Two improved scenarios were obtained, the first consisted of extending the lifespan of some plastics, and the second entailed the introduction of some biodegradable alternatives. About 11,103 tons of agricultural plastic waste are yearly produced in the area and 7450 tons come from covering films. Lifespan extension would reduce the annual waste amount by about 25%, while more alternative products are needed to achieve significant results in the second scenario.

Agricultural plastic waste (APW) is an emerging source of soil pollution and potential micro- and nano-plastic (MNP) contamination in agroecosystems. This study focuses on the Apulia region in southern Italy, a key horticultural and viticultural area with intensive plastic use. Annual APW was estimated for each agricultural feature using a detailed 1:5000 land use map, crop distribution data, and validated plastic waste indices for several plastic application types. The analysis was integrated within a Geographic Information System (GIS) and combined with relative risk indices (RRIs) to compute and map the agricultural plastic pollution risk index (APPRI), a semi-quantitative indicator designated to estimate the potential release of MNPs from agricultural plastics. The APPRI is obtained by multiplying the APW estimates by the RRIs. The results show a clear spatial heterogeneity in plastic waste generation, with the highest APPRI values in vineyards, orchards, olive groves, and greenhouse systems, particularly in the provinces of Foggia and Bari. Cereal-based cropping systems exhibited the lowest risk values. The study proposes an innovative approach, combining land use, APW, and related potential risk into a single mapping tool. This allows for effectively identifying regional hotspots where management and recycling strategies should be prioritized. This GIS-based tool for assessing and visualizing agricultural plastic pollution risk can support evidence-based decision-making and sustainable waste management in agricultural landscapes.

Agricultural plastics are essential in modern farming but generate substantial quantities of agricultural plastic waste (APW), requiring efficient management. This study evaluated a two-stage framework for estimating and mapping selected APW streams to support sustainable waste management across France’s 18 administrative regions using a Geographic Information System (GIS). Plastic Waste Indices (PWIs), originally developed for the Italian context, were first applied to French agricultural data and were subsequently refined using French-specific information and technical knowledge provided by Le Comité de la Plasticulture et de l’Agroenvironnement (CPA) and Agriculteurs, Distributeurs, Industriels pour la VALORisation des déchets agricoles (ADIVALOR). However, the extent to which PWIs developed in one national agricultural context can be directly transferred to another remains uncertain. The refinement integrated marketed quantities, regional distribution indicators, soilage coefficients, product lifetimes, and knowledge of French collection schemes. An estimated 89,467 tons yr⁻¹ of APW were generated, with silage films constituting the dominant waste stream (51.3%), followed by plastic bags, mulching films, and agrochemical containers. Spatial analysis identified Occitanie, Bretagne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Pays de la Loire, and Grand Est as major hotspots. Direct application of the original Italian PWIs yielded approximately 73,750 tons yr⁻¹, whereas the French-refined estimate was approximately 21.3% higher. The divergence was primarily attributable to silage-related plastics. The results demonstrate that the PWI framework can provide a transferable methodological basis, whereas individual coefficients and allocation assumptions require country-specific assessment and refinement. This approach may provide a basis for comparable applications in other European agricultural contexts. The resulting maps provide screening-level spatial information that can support subsequent regional waste management assessments.