|
 Bye-bye garbage?
According to statistics provided by the cabinet, which last week met for the fourth time in downtown Naples to dramatize its commitment to solving a problem which has cost local tourism millions of euros, some 50,000 tons of accumulated uncollected garbage has now been reduced to only 2,000 tons, mostly "rifiuti speciali", specialized refuse which cannot be collected with ordinary equipment. "Naples has regained its rightful place in the West", Berlusconi said at a press conference held after the meeting. The problem is that for the time being the trash has probably only been moved somewhere else, whether it be to Germany, where thousands of tons have been processed in recent months, or to new land-fills or dumps - particularly those in Arcangelo Trimomte and Savignano Irpino - that the special trash commissioner, Guido Bertolaso, and his predecessor Gianni De Gennaro, convinced local administrators to open or re-open. So far, said geologist Franco Ortolani, who has been a consultant on the safety of several proposed land-fill sites, it is the old story of the housekeeper who rather than clean thoroughly, simply sweeps the dust under the carpet. For the Berlusconi cleanup to really work, much more must be done. The government, in fact, has decided to open four thermorecylcing plants in the area- in Naples, Acerra, Salerno and S. Maria La Fosse - and the installation of dumps or garbage treatment plants in 37 different townships. But whether these things really get done, and how quickly, remains to be seen. Berlusconi told the press last week that at least three years will be needed But some people, particularly political opponents, are sceptical. Garbage has been accumulating on the streets of Naples, and then disappearing from them, for close to 15 years now and it is unlikely that in only two months all the related problems - inefficiency, corruption, involvement of the Camorra (the area's biggest criminal organization) - will be resolved. |
