'Naples Now Known as City of Garbage'

SAN GIORGIO A CREMANO, Italy, Jan. 10, 2008 — -- The main street in San Giorgio a Cremano wraps around the base of Mount Vesuvius, a volcano that occasionally rumbles to life sprinkling Naples and other small communities like San Giorgio with volcanic dust.

But it's not ash that covers these towns now. It's trash. Tons of smelly trash have been left in large piles every 100 yards or so in populated areas.

"What mamma would stop here to buy my fruit in front of this pile of rubbish? The smell is disgusting," said Nicola Esposito, a produce vendor in San Giorgio. "Everyone is getting sick."

Esposito blames the national and local governments for allowing the crisis to be an ongoing problem that has troubled this part of Southern Italy for decades.

"When [Regional President Antonio] Bassolino canvassed here for votes last time, he promised a golf course, but when he got elected he opened a rubbish dump on the site instead," Esposito said angrily.

For years the local government has been unable to get all sides to agree on a plan of action. The opening of new dumps is opposed by many residents. The building of new incinerators has been hampered by environmentalists. Unable to get a consensus for a long-term plan, the government has leapt from one crisis to another resolving the problem with only temporary measures.

It is the presence of dumps in the region that are full to the brim that has continuously sparked the recurring protests. The residents believe that Campania's cancer rates — which are higher than other parts of Italy — are directly related to the trash.

Allegations that the Mafia, known locally as the Camorra, is actively involved in illicit waste removal are being investigated. They reportedly have illegally disposed of toxic waste polluting the land and water supply. The rubbish collection industry is an $8.6 million industry. According to some convicted mobsters that have "sung" to the authorities, the Camorra has switched from pushing drugs to disposing of trash because it is more lucrative.