|
4
Nerd-Its
|
|
current event
by The municipal government of Naples, Italy is holding emergency meetings to figure out what to do with the 100,000 tons of trash that has been piling up in the streets as a result of completely full landfills. The Italian military has been called in to bulldoze and clear the piles of festering garbage that have blocked entrances to schools and businesses, and forced the closing of many schools for health reasons. The people of Naples have resorted to trying to burn their own trash causing noxious fumes and many uncontrollable blazes, requiring constant aid from local firefighters. When the city tried to reopen the previously closed landfill in the Pianura neighborhood, the residents revolted, blocking access to the garbage trucks, burning busses and even going so far as to attack a television reporter during a live broadcast.
City officials are blaming massive bureaucracy and organized crime infiltration for their ongoing trash problems. No trash has been picked up since Dec. 21. One Naples resident stated, "I don't go downstairs any more to throw it away but throw it out the window because the garbage has already reached as high as the second-floor window."
(Not everyone is completely unhappy though. These particular Naples residents have never had it better.)
Add a Comment (1)
Email This
Message Author
RSS
Don't throw your muck in my dust bin. by MateFrio :: NR4 :: on 08 January 2008
I had a feeling this is more about the garbage of politics than litter: Link
But put simply, the bottom line seems the failure of politics, never a strong point in Italy.
As trash dumps filled up over the years, new places or ways to get rid of garbage were not found, largely because of local protests or protection by one politician or another. Years of postponing the problem finally caught up with Naples (and by bad luck just as the temperatures rose, creating as much stink as unsightliness).
"This is a situation that is tied to the incapability of the political structure," said Ermete Realacci, an environmental expert and member of the Italian Parliament for the center-left Daisy party. Namely, he said, politicians of all stripes have been unwilling "to make strong choices" to build new dumps or incinerators in any particular place.