Hussain and Hamid (2003) reported that global plastic
consumption in agriculture and related areas accounted
for 2.48 million tons (1 ton02,000 lb) of plastics annually.
In Western Europe, plastic films are the major type of
plastic used in plasticulture. In 1997, out of 700,000 tons
of total plastics used in agriculture in Western Europe,
500,000 tons or 71% were plastic films, of which greenhouse
films accounted for 50%, and mulch and silage
films were approximately 25% each