Trash Talk

Garbage is flooding the streets of Naples, yet again. In 1994, a state of emergency was declared to combat the masses of rubbish accumulating in the southern Italian city. This summer is providing a repeat performance.

The last legally available Neapolitan landfill was topped off in May. Soon after, the construction of two large incinerators fell through when politicians balked at local protests. Surrounding towns refused to accomodate the city's refuse. There was no other option than to heap waste in the gutter, like a medieval village.

Small-scale incineration became widespread. Over a hundred fires are found burning on some nights, adding toxic gases to the smog that already blankets the city.

As the temperature hit 104 degrees by the end of June, Naples's malodorous predicament let loose an international stink. The European Union Enivornment Commissioner released a statement on June 27. "The television reports we have all seen showing piles of garbage rotting in the streets of Campania or set on fire by angry residents have been truly shocking. I urge the Italian authorities to act urgently to bring waste management facilities in the Campania region up to standard so that waste is collected and disposed of without endangering human health or the environment, as European law requires." The United States embassy in Rome just issued an advisory note warning American travelers of the potential health hazard and public demonstrations. Now, not only is the respiratory health of Neapolitans at stake, but "the image of the country," to quote Italy's President.

Neighboring towns were quickly forced into opening their dumps, and one local landfill technically at capacity was reopened for 20 days. A new incinerator will be completed in the coming weeks.

The garbage is slowly centralizing. Over a week ago, the Neapolitan government reported that only 400 tons of trash remains to be collected, but many of the trash mountains have not yet diminished into molehills, especially in poor areas of town.

Already controlling much of the city's garbage pickup service, organized crime is providing a solution through illegal dumping sites. Although they are a favorable alternative to decomposing streetcorner heaps, the camorra's dumps do not meet high health and environmental standards.

Long-term solutions require the construction of landfills in outlying towns. Unfortunately, the populations of those communities fail to support necessary relief. In one small town a temporary dump was established to alleviate the current emergency. The International Herald Tribune reports that, "Nearly every day, protesters have lain in the road to block garbage trucks. Trash was thrown in the mayor's yard."

Outsourcing offers a secondary solution in addition to the construction of a domestic infrastructure capable of handling Naples's waste. As the crisis escalated in May, the Italian government petitioned Romania to accept Neapolitan garbage. The Romanian Environment Minister submitted a curt reply. "Our stance is clear: We are not allowing Italian waste on Romanian territory. Our infrastructure is not developed enough to handle our own waste. If someone lets garbage into Romania, they will suffer the consequences of Romanian law."

Campania's endemic trash epidemic highlights the backward state of southern Italy. For many centuries, the industrial north has prospered while the agrarian south has languished. National authorities consistently turn a blind eye to the inequity. I hope that this recent humiliation helps spur the Italian government into cleaning up its act.