Italy’s Trashy Trouble Worsens

The out of control rubbish situation down in Naples, which has been smouldering away since 1994, has finally landed Italy in a spot of trouble.

I first wrote about this troublesome issue in my Naples and Rubbish post back in May 2007, then I mentioned it once more in January this year in my Naples is Burning again post.  Just for good measure, I suggested something that Prodi might do to deal with the mess in a post entitled Want to Sort Out the Neopolitan Trash Problem Mr Prodi?, in which I suggested that the Italian army should be sent in to attack the problem.

Indeed, I was pretty surprised to learn the next day that Prodi had sent in the troops! Dutifully, I wrote yet another post – Was I Writing Rubbish? to announce the coincidence.

Well, this issue has not yet gone away, instead it has piled up into a whole heap of trouble for Italy. The European Union has finally tired of Italy’s procrastination over the trash topic and taken the Living Museum to court. All this despite Berlusconian promises to get on down there and sort this embarassing issue out.

Will this buring matter finally be resolved? Well, the ball’s now in the European court, so to speak.

Naples, Rubbish, and the NY Times

Recently the New York Times did a nice article entitled ‘36 Hours in Naples‘, which makes interesting reading and is well worth checking out. The trash/rubbish situation is mentioned, but then, in a funny sort of way this typically Italian crisis is increasing the city’s profile at a worldwide level, and some will be drawn there out of morbid curiosity I’ve no doubt.

As Brendan Behan apparently once said ‘There is no such thing as bad publicity except your own obituary.’, A quotation which could very well be the motto of someone rich and famous here in the Living Museum. Bet you can’t guess who! Not.

Was I writing rubbish?

Well, yesterday I suggested that Prodi and co bring in the army to sort out the trashy chaos down around Naples. So, I was a little bit surprised to read today in one of the freebe newspapers – E Polis Milano, that the Italian government was thinking about doing just that. In fact it was none other than the Italian defence minister, Alberto Parisi, who decided to send in the soldiers.

Maybe someone in his office read my blog, maybe he read my blog. I doubt it. Anyway, good thinking Mr Parisi.

Now, apparently, all they’ve got to do is decide where to put all the detritus. Well, I’m sure the Germans would be happy to help out, after all, in Germany they burn trash and turn it into power. A good example of Teutonic practicality, provided that they have managed to sort out the air pollution caused by burning all that rubbish.

More predictions coming your way soon from Blog from Italy. Not. Well, possibly.

Want to sort out the Neopolitan trash problem Mr Prodi?

Here’s a suggestion:

1. Send in the army. Get them to tidy up, placing all the mess in large trucks and transporting it to rubbish dumps in other parts of Italy.

2. While the soldiers are sorting out the mess, impose 9pm to 6am curfew, enforced by the army. Anyone caught out and about is arrested, held for the night, fined, and then sent home. Cars and scooters etc, are confiscated. They will be released upon payment of another fine.

3. Keep tabs on the total cost of the operation – soldiers time, trucks, fuel etc, and then hit everyone in Naples with an ICI surcharge. Income from fines may be used to lower the cost of the surcharge.

Only a suggestion, but, you never know, it may even enhance the rather poor reputation that Italy’s politicos ‘enjoy’ at the moment.

This Naples thing is likely to turn Italy in to laughing stock for the rest of Europe. It’s a national embarrassment. Pure and simple.

Naples is burning, again

Some time back, I wrote about the rubbish situation down in Naples. Well, it appears as though the trash story has flared up yet again. All the national news here is alight with images of huge piles of rubbish, and huge piles of rubbish alight.

I had heard that the Neapolitan trash thing had been resolved, but, it sounds as though the solution was of the ‘sweep-it-under-the-carpet’ variety. Only, said rug has not proved to be big enough, and, ‘hey presto’, back to square one.

Naples’ fireman (sorry, should use the pc ‘firepeople’) apparently spent a most enjoyable New Year’s evening dashing around the city putting out burning rubbish. That’s when they were not dealing with the bomb sized fireworks so beloved of those down in the south. Sounds like they, the firepeople, had a pretty trashy time. Heh heh (I will not use ‘ho ho’, a) ‘coz Christmas is all but over, and b) ‘coz I don’t want to be accused of being non-politically correct.).

Anyway, talking of politicially correct, Prodi has been creating a certain amount of hot air over all the fire down in Naples, and all the other politico’s are, as usual, trying to put Prodi’s flame out, by, equally as usual, calling for his resignation.

Ho hum. New Year, but same old, same old, here in the Living Museum (I shall continue to use the expression ‘Living Museum, because I still believe there is some live here, even if others, slightly more jaded than myself, consider that the word ‘Museum’ is enough to sum up ‘modern’ day Italy).

Naples and rubbish

There is something odd going on down in Naples. Every so often there are reports of domestic rubbish piling up to health threatening levels – indeed, it is happening at the moment and these here piles are catching fire too. The only trouble is I don’t really understand why. The word that begins with ‘m’ and ends with ‘a’ has been mentioned.

Somebody care to tell me what the blazes is going on?

UPDATE: 22nd May, 2007.  It appears, according to Sky’s TG24 news channel, that the rubbish is piling up because there is nowhere to put it all.  This is because, it seems, nobody wants a waste disposal site near them.  Indeed, those living near proposed disposal site have been blockading them.  Something smells odd, though, and I’m not just talking about the rubbish.

The local fire brigade was called out to 150 fires concerning burning refuse last night alone.  Heaven only knows what the risk to health is.