A GIS-BASED MODEL TO MAP GRAVITY CENTERS OF AGRICULTURAL END-OF-LIFE PLASTICS FOR A SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT

Agricultural plastics applications are essential for quality and production enhancement of agricultural systems. However, they generate significant amounts of waste that pose a serious threat to the environment. Effective waste management strategies are required to address this issue such as the development of a comprehensive map of agricultural plastic waste (APW). This paper presents a GIS-based model for mapping APWs and identify their gravity centers in the provinces of Bari and Brindisi in Southern Italy. Land use maps and APW indices were used to identify location and amount of APWs. Suitable areas for the first collection of end-of-life plastics were determined as buffer area around the gravity centers location. Land use maps based on orthophotos made available on the Apulia region website, in Italy, were used. The use of earth observation products, easily updatable, makes it possible to manage the spatial and temporal dispersion of waste related to the seasonality of agricultural production. The results of the research show that the model is effective in identifying areas with APW generation. The location of the APW gravity centers was found in areas with intensive agriculture. Overall, this research demonstrated the potential of GIS-based models for siting APW first collection centers. The GIS database relies on land use maps obtained from orthophotos as earth observation product, but land use maps can be easily created and updated with remote sensing imagery. By implementing this model decision makers, managers and land planners can take proactive measures to promote sustainable waste management chains.