Documenting and optimising municipal waste handling and management activities in the environmental impact perspective requires reliable input data in which stakeholders can have confidence. LCA methodology for such analyses is well established, however the parameterization of LCA models often requires time-consuming and costly data-gathering. This partly depends on the perceived need for locally gathered data, specific to the system in question. This paper examines ways in which parts of this onerous exercise might be avoided for plastic packaging, and the implications of doing so.
The study has shown that, for GWP, material recycling is better than energy recovery for all the investigated plastic packaging treatment cases. It seems unlikely that local conditions can alter this conclusion.

global warming; waste management; plastic packaging; data specificity