A Rubbish Deal
January 11, 2008
Germany has stepped in to help resolve the Naples rubbish crisis by accepting 30,000 tons of household waste from the Italian city. The port of Bremerhaven plans to dispose of the rubbish, just under a third of the total amount of waste which has piled up on the streets of Naples and its surrounding Campania region over the last two weeks.
However, a spokesperson for the city government made it clear that the burning of the rubbish in a local waste incinerator would not become a regular occurrence and that Bremerhaven was not entering the international disposal business. "It was a one-off case of emergency aid," the spokesperson said. "It will not be extended."
The 30,000 tons will be disposed of over the next six months. Bremerhaven has already dealt with 8,000 tons since local officials gave permission for the disposal action at the end of last year. The waste is transported by train from Italy to Germany.
An estimated 100,000 tons of rubbish has paralyzed Naples, which lacks the facilities to dispose of the garbage. The Italian government has appointed a special commissioner to solve the crisis, which has led to clashes between residents and police.
EU Commission chief demands action
The waste problem became an EU topic Friday when European Commission President demanded that Italy should act swiftly to remove the rubbish.
"We are following with great attention what is happening in Campania," Barroso told reporters at a function at the European College, an academic institution based in the northern Italian city of Parma.
Barroso, recalling how the commission had begun a procedure against Italy last July for "not respecting European legislation on the theme of refuse" said he hoped the Italian government would "in a short time," implement measures to solve the crisis.
Barroso said he would discuss the rubbish issue with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi in Malta on Saturday where both leaders are scheduled to attend celebrations marking the island state's adoption of the euro currency.
Tensions over garbage spreading through Italy
Meanwhile tensions related to the disposal of rubbish from Naples and Campania threatened to spill-over into other Italian regions.
Overnight police in Sardinia detained dozens of people who tried to prevent ship carrying rubbish collected in Naples from unloading it rotting cargo on the island.
The protestors who included several local politicians were later released.
The transport of rubbish to other Italian regions was one of a series of measures announced by Prodi on Tuesday when he unveiled a plan to deal with the crisis which began when refuse removal trucks stopped operating in much of Campania just before Christmas because landfills were full.
The government also appointed the country's former police chief as "special commissioner" giving him four months to supervise rubbish removal operations, an activity which officials say has been infiltrated by the local mafia, the Camorra.
The activation of three energy recovery incinerators to serve Naples - Italy's third largest city - and the rest of Campania, were among a set of longer term measures announced by Prodi to deal with the problem.