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The Naples waste management crisis is a series of events surrounding the lack of
waste collection
Waste collection is a part of the process of waste management. It is the transfer of solid waste from the point of use and disposal to the point of treatment or landfill. Waste collection also includes the curbside collection of recyclable m ...
and
illegal toxic waste dumping in and around the
Province of Naples
The Province of Naples ( it, Provincia di Napoli; nap, Pruvincia 'e Nàpule) was a province in the Campania region of southern Italy.
In 2014/2015, the reform of local authorities (Law 142/1990 and Law 56/2014), replaced the Province of Naples ...
(now known as the
Metropolitan City of Naples
The Metropolitan City of Naples ( it, Città metropolitana di Napoli) is an Italian metropolitan city in Campania region, established on 1 January 2015. Its capital city is Naples; within the city there are 92 comunes (municipalities).
It was ...
),
Campania
Campania (, also , , , ) is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islands and the i ...
, Italy, beginning in the 1980s.
In 1994, Campania formally declared a
state of emergency
A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...
, ending in 2008, however, the crisis has had negative effects on the environment and on human health, specifically in an area that became known as the
triangle of death. Due to the burning of accumulated toxic wastes in overfilled landfills and the streets, Naples and the surrounding areas became known as the "Land of
pyre
A pyre ( grc, πυρά; ''pyrá'', from , ''pyr'', "fire"), also known as a funeral pyre, is a structure, usually made of wood, for burning a body as part of a funeral rite or execution. As a form of cremation, a body is placed upon or under the ...
s" (''terra dei fuochi''). The crisis is largely attributed to
government failure
Government failure, in the context of public economics, is an economic inefficiency caused by a government intervention, if the inefficiency would not exist in a true free market. The costs of the government intervention are greater than the bene ...
to efficiently waste manage, as well as the illegal waste disposal by the
criminal organization.
The emergency
In the 1980s and 1990s, Naples and the
Campania
Campania (, also , , , ) is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islands and the i ...
region in
southern Italy
Southern Italy ( it, Sud Italia or ) also known as ''Meridione'' or ''Mezzogiorno'' (), is a macroregion of the Italian Republic consisting of its southern half.
The term ''Mezzogiorno'' today refers to regions that are associated with the peop ...
suffered from the dumping of
solid waste
Municipal solid waste (MSW), commonly known as trash or garbage in the United States and rubbish in Britain, is a waste type consisting of everyday items that are discarded by the public. "Garbage" can also refer specifically to food waste, ...
into overfilled
landfill
A landfill site, also known as a tip, dump, rubbish dump, garbage dump, or dumping ground, is a site for the disposal of waste materials. Landfill is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of the waste ...
s. With no regional waste management plan in place, the region's main landfill in
Pianura
Pianura (Italian: "plain") is a western suburb of Naples, southern Italy. It is bounded on one side by the area of Soccavo and on the other side by the outskirts of the town of Pozzuoli.
Personalities
* Justin Russolillo (1891-1955), presbyter
* ...
became overfilled with both hazardous and non-hazardous waste, with waste also coming from
northern Italy
Northern Italy ( it, Italia settentrionale, it, Nord Italia, label=none, it, Alta Italia, label=none or just it, Nord, label=none) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. It consists of eight administrative regions ...
.
[ In February 1994, a ]state of emergency
A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...
was declared in Campania by Prime Minister Carlo Azeglio Ciampi
Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (; 9 December 1920 – 16 September 2016) was an Italian politician and banker who was the prime minister of Italy from 1993 to 1994 and the president of Italy from 1999 to 2006.
Biography Education
Ciampi was born i ...
, and created the Committee for the Waste Emergency
in Campania (''Commissariato di Governo per l'emergenza rifiuti in Campania'').[ The Pianura landfill was closed in 1996.
]
Government response and the "emergency of the emergency"
After the first commissioner was removed, Antonio Rastrelli took over in 1996. In July 1997, a regional waste management plan was finally approved.[ In 1998, he initiated a ]request for tender
An invitation to tender (ITT, otherwise known as a call for bids or a request for tenders) is a formal, structured procedure for generating competing offers from different potential suppliers or contractors looking to obtain an award of business ...
to companies to build waste treatment plants, including incinerator
Incineration is a waste treatment process that involves the combustion of substances contained in waste materials. Industrial plants for waste incineration are commonly referred to as waste-to-energy facilities. Incineration and other high ...
s, to generate refuse-derived fuel
Refuse-derived fuel (RDF) is a fuel produced from various types of waste such as municipal solid waste (MSW), industrial waste or commercial waste.
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development provides a definition:
''"Selected wast ...
from the "ecobales" (bales formed of refuse).[ By the end of 1998, FIBE, a consortium of ]Salini Impregilo
Webuild SpA (formerly Salini Impregilo SpA) () is an Italian industrial group specialised in the construction and civil engineering business headquartered in Milan. The company was formally founded in 2014 as the result of the merger by incorporat ...
won the tender, which was highly based on its low cost rather than its proposed use of technology to manage the waste crisis.[ By December 1999, all regional landfills had reached capacity, and waste started to accumulate in the streets.][ In 2001, the first plant was built to manage the ecobales, but was not capable of handling the daily amount of waste, nor was the quality of the waste suitable for incineration.][ FIBE was given the power to decide the location of facilities without local consultation or ]environmental impact assessment
Environmental Impact assessment (EIA) is the assessment of the environmental consequences of a plan, policy, program, or actual projects prior to the decision to move forward with the proposed action. In this context, the term "environmental imp ...
, and by 2002, had planned to build an incinerator in Acerra
Acerra () is a town and ''comune'' of Campania, southern Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Naples, about northeast of the capital in Naples. It is part of the Agro Acerrano plain.
History
Acerra is one of the most ancient cities of the regio ...
and Santa Maria la Fossa
Santa Maria la Fossa is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Caserta in the Italy, Italian region Campania, located about northwest of Naples and about west of Caserta.
Santa Maria la Fossa borders the following municipalities: Capua, ...
.[ The president of Campania, ]Antonio Bassolino
Antonio Bassolino, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI (born 20 March 1947) is an Italian politician. He has been President of the Campania region from 2000 to 2010 and Mayor of Naples from 1993 to 2000.
Biography
Bassolino was born in Afragola, Campa ...
, was appointed to the commission in 2000, but his inability and failings to address the waste in the city highlighted by the media destroyed the image of his administration; he left the commission in 2004.[ In 2002, landfills in ]Tufino
Tufino is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) of c. 3,400 inhabitants in the Metropolitan City of Naples in the Italian region Campania, located about 30 km northeast of Naples.
Tufino borders the following municipalities: Avella, Casamar ...
and Montecorvino Pugliano
Montecorvino Pugliano is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-west Italy. The communal seat is in Pugliano; no settlement in the municipality is called "Montecorvino", a toponym related to the nearby com ...
were closed due to toxic waste pollution in groundwater
Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available freshwater in the world is groundwater. A unit of rock or an unconsolidate ...
.[ While the local residents in these communities protested, which turned violent at times with police, against the construction of incinerators; this period became known as "the emergency of the emergency".][
In September 2004, a scientific publication in the '']Lancet Oncology
''The Lancet'' is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal and one of the oldest of its kind. It is also the world's highest-impact academic journal. It was founded in England in 1823.
The journal publishes original research articles, ...
'' coined the term " triangle of death" with regards to the region comprising Acerra, Nola
Nola is a town and a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, southern Italy. It lies on the plain between Mount Vesuvius and the Apennines. It is traditionally credited as the diocese that introduced bells to Christian worship. ...
and Marigliano
Marigliano is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, southern Italy.
The town lies 19 km from Naples. Nearby towns include: Acerra, Brusciano, Mariglianella, Nola, San Vitaliano, Scisciano, Somma Vesuviana.
Main ...
, due to their reported higher cancer rates compared to the whole of Italy. The report was met with criticism by the National Research Council National Research Council may refer to:
* National Research Council (Canada), sponsoring research and development
* National Research Council (Italy), scientific and technological research, Rome
* National Research Council (United States), part of ...
, dismissing the methods used by Senior and Mazza as biased. Despite this, it sparked the first interest and concern into this matter, and has become the most cited source of evidence throughout the crisis.[
By 2005, incinerators had still yet to be built, and the accumulation and storage demands of the ecobales rose. The started to buy land that was subsequently rented to FIBE to store the ecobales. This produced financial hardship for FIBE, and further caused its incapability to satisfy contractual commitments.][ On 30 November 2005, the Italian government rescinded its contract with FIBE.][
]
New tender and Berlusconi
After a new tender was issued, one was not secured until October 2008, with A2A.[ Before the tender was secured, in 2007, the government of Italian prime minister ]Romano Prodi
Romano Antonio Prodi (; born 9 August 1939) is an Italian politician, economist, academic, senior civil servant, and business executive who served as the tenth president of the European Commission from 1999 to 2004. He served twice as Prim ...
, announced plans for the solution of the crisis, including the shipment of tons of ecobales by train to Germany, as well as re-opening landfills, including in Pianura and Chiaiano
Chiaiano is a north-western quarter of Naples, with a population of about 23,000.
Geography
Chiaiano is a hilly and wooded area that lies between Camaldoli and the Campi Flegrei.
History
Archaeologically, the area is of interest, displaying rem ...
(opened February 2009), which led to further violent protests.[ Berlusconi took immediate action, and held his first cabinet meeting in Naples. He then appointed a new waste commissioner, ]Guido Bertolaso
Guido Bertolaso (born March 20, 1950, Rome, Italy) is an Italian physician and state functionary, and from 2001 to 2010 was commander in chief of the Italian Civil Protection department.
Biography
From May 2008 he was Secretary to the Prime Mini ...
(then the head of the Civil Protection Department). In May 2008, the newly elected prime minister Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; born 29 September 1936) is an Italian media tycoon and politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy in four governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies ...
, decreed that protests in the vicinity of landfills, incinerators or any plant related to waste management, is a penal felony.[ In addition, 700 tons of rubbish per day were sent to incinerators in ]Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
, Germany, while new incinerators were built locally. In July 2008, Berlusconi started the ''Operazione Strade Pulite'' (Operation Clean Roads), which brought in the Italian Armed Forces
The Italian Armed Forces ( it, Forze armate italiane, ) encompass the Italian Army, the Italian Navy and the Italian Air Force. A fourth branch of the armed forces, known as the Carabinieri, take on the role as the nation's military police and ar ...
to aid in garbage removal from the streets. By 17 July 2008, Berlusconi declared that the emergency had ended due to the absence of waste in the streets.[ Seven million tons of waste stored as ecobales, destined for incineration, had been accumulated.][ However, garbage soon started to refill the streets—stating that the streets would be cleaned by 31 December 2009.
On 18 March 2009, the ]Acerra
Acerra () is a town and ''comune'' of Campania, southern Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Naples, about northeast of the capital in Naples. It is part of the Agro Acerrano plain.
History
Acerra is one of the most ancient cities of the regio ...
incineration facility was finally completed at a cost of over €350 million. The incinerator burns 600,000 tons of waste per year to produce refuse-derived fuel
Refuse-derived fuel (RDF) is a fuel produced from various types of waste such as municipal solid waste (MSW), industrial waste or commercial waste.
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development provides a definition:
''"Selected wast ...
, and the energy produced from the facility is enough to power 200,000 households per year. In June 2009, a land fill Terzigno
Terzigno is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Naples in the Italian region Campania, located about 20 km east of Naples. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 16,977 and an area of 23.5 km2.All demographics ...
, inside the Vesuvius National Park
Vesuvius National Park ( it, Parco Nazionale del Vesuvio) is an Italian national park centered on the active volcano Vesuvius, southeast from Naples. The park was founded on June 5, 1995, and covers an area of around 135 square kilometers all lo ...
, was also re-opened, which caused violent protests. In September 2010, it was reported that there were still 600 tons of waste in the streets.
Between June and November 2011, the newly elected mayor of Naples, and former antimafia magistrate, Luigi de Magistris, managed the quantity of uncollected garbage in the streets, which declined from 2,500 tons to zero. He arranged for the garbage to be transferred to the Netherlands
)
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, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
by ship, which started in January 2012.
Causes
Reports in 2008 stated that the crisis was caused at least in part by the , the powerful Campania-based mafia, which created a lucrative business in the municipal waste disposal business, mostly in the triangle of death. With the complicity of industrial companies, heavy metals, industrial waste
Industrial waste is the waste produced by industrial activity which includes any material that is rendered useless during a manufacturing process such as that of factories, mills, and mining operations. Types of industrial waste include dirt and ...
, and chemicals and household waste are frequently mixed together, then dumped near roads and burned to avoid detection, leading to severe soil and air pollution. The phenomenon of widespread environmental crime
Environmental crime is an illegal act which directly harms the environment. These illegal activities involve the environment, wildlife, biodiversity and natural resources. International bodies such as, G8, Interpol, European Union, United Nation ...
perpetrated by criminal syndicates like the Camorra and 'Ndrangheta
The 'Ndrangheta (, , ) is a prominent Italian Mafia-type organized crime syndicate and secret society, criminal society based in the peninsular and mountainous region of Calabria and dating back to the late 18th century. It is considered one of ...
has given rise to the term "ecomafia
Ecomafia is an Italian neologism for criminal activities related to organized crime which cause damage to the environment. The term was coined by the Italian environmentalist organization Legambiente in 1994, and has since seen widespread use. In I ...
".
According to Giacomo D'Alisa et al., "the situation worsened during this period as the Camorra diversified their illegal waste disposal strategy: 1) transporting and dumping hazardous waste in the countryside by truck; 2) dumping waste in illegal caves or holes; 3) mixing toxic waste with textiles to avoid explosions and then burning it; and 4) mixing toxic with urban waste for disposal in landfills and incinerator
Incineration is a waste treatment process that involves the combustion of substances contained in waste materials. Industrial plants for waste incineration are commonly referred to as waste-to-energy facilities. Incineration and other high ...
s."
A Camorra member, Nunzio Perella was arrested in 1992, and began collaborating with authorities; he had stated "the rubbish is gold."[ The boss of the ]Casalesi clan
The Casalesi clan is a clan within the Camorra, an Italian criminal organization, operating from Casal di Principe and San Cipriano d'Aversa in the province of Caserta between Naples and Latium. Formed by Antonio Bardellino, it is a confederatio ...
, Gaetano Vassallo, admitted to systematically working for 20 years to bribe local politicians and officials to gain their acquiescence to dumping toxic waste. Giorgio Napolitano, President of Italian Republic, said in June 2008:
The waste management crisis is primarily a result of government failure
Government failure, in the context of public economics, is an economic inefficiency caused by a government intervention, if the inefficiency would not exist in a true free market. The costs of the government intervention are greater than the bene ...
to control illegal waste dumping. The government had attempted to mandate recycling and waste management programs, but were unable, causing the expansion of opportunities for illegal activities, which caused further barriers to solve the waste crisis.
In popular culture
The crisis is featured in Roberto Saviano
Roberto Saviano (; born 22 September 1979) is an Italian writer, essayist, journalist, and screenwriter. In his writings, including articles and his book '' Gomorrah'', he uses literature and investigative reporting to tell of the economic reali ...
's 2006 book Gomorrah, the film of the same name, as well as in the fourth season of the TV series of the same name. It is also the focus of the 2007 documentary Biùtiful cauntri
''Biùtiful cauntri'' (Italian transcription of the pronunciation of the English phrase "Beautiful country") is a 2007 Italian documentary film about illegal toxic waste dumping in Southern Italy. It was directed by Esmeralda Calabria and Andrea ...
.
References
External links
;Press reports
* .
*.
*.
* .
* .
* .
*.
* .
* {{citation
, url=http://www.cartografareilpresente.org/article683.html?lang=en
, title=A map of Chiaiano's dump, in Naples' north
, last=Ingiusto
, first=Dario
, publisher=Mapping the World
, date=3 June 2011
, place=Bologna
.
Laboratorio Campano
History of the Camorra in Italy
Waste management in Italy
Environment of Italy
Scandals in Italy
20th century in Naples
21st century in Naples