Naples' rubbish problem continues to fester

As thousands of tonnes of rotting rubbish sits uncollected on the streets of Naples, it has emerged that Italian officials have approached German firms to help shift the backlog, writes South African News 24 website.

The European Commission has given Italy until the end of February to sort out the problem, or face legal action for breaching EU waste management guidelines.

The problem began in the first-half of 2007 as landfills sites for the waste from the one million residents of the southern Italian city reached full capacity.

Local protests over planned incineration plants compounded the problem. With nowhere for it to go, the rubbish remained uncollected and began to pile up in the streets.

Attempts to ship waste to Sardinia resulted in clashes between some islanders and police. In January, six people were arrested as they attempted to set fire to waste containers, angered by a politician’s assertion that other Italian regions had an obligation to take refuse from the beleaguered city.

News 24 says representatives from German disposal companies were assessing how much incinerator capacity might be available following the request for help from the Italian Embassy in Berlin.

Picture gallery from Naples Indymedia

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