The rubbish crisis in Campania

Useless to say: the crisis due to the mismanagement of the rubbish cycle in Campania is affecting many fields of the economy of the region. One of the most affected fields is tourism, which is one of the most important factors of richness and of business of this part of Italy. Everyone knows the “meravigliosa” Amalfi coast, with it’s lemon-tree, the wonderful panorama on the sea, or the romance of places such as Capri and Sorrento, the ancient charm of cultural sites like Paestum and Pompei, rich in history and traditions. Now, due to the incorrect behaviour and to the doubtful moral of burocrats and politicians who, in fifteen years’ mismanagement never cared about the real problems of the region, the image and the charm of these places has faded away. This means loss of tourists, loss of exportation of typical products of excellence which translate in loss of business, loss of money, loss of work and consequently in unemployment, black-work, loss of faith in a better future, depression, need for money: new, fruitful soil for the Camorra. Which is one of the main causes of the rubbish crisis too. A endless vicious circle. The population can but be overwhelmed by the facts, angry and contemporarily disappointed and frustrated. In this background the city of Salerno has been pointed at like a “virtuous” example of good management. The actual Syndic, Mr. Vincenzo De Luca, much has done to insure its city wouldn’t face such a crisis. Thanks to his good management, while Naples and Caserta suffered for rubbish split all over the streets, the roads and the Lungomare of Salerno where completely free from rubbish. A few days ago and after many requests, Mr. De Luca succeeded in obtaining special powers, from the (now ex-) Prime Minister Romano Prodi, to build a new incinerator, the third one of the region, which will allow, together with recycling, a better management of the rubbish cycle. Many are against the new incinerator but this really seems the solutions that, at least in this moment, hurts the less. Mr. De Luca is proud of what he has done for Salerno and its provinces and he hopes that people from other countries will be able to do the right “distinguo” in order to not prevent them to come and join the beauties of these places. Furthermore, even with problems and with efforts, the situation in Naples and in Caserta is slowly coming back to normality although the public opinion is still fighting against the re-opening of waste-disposal sites. One thing is sure: sensibility toward recycling and the environment have thus increased among the population, people are more willing to care about the way they manage their rubbish. This could be seen as the only positive side of the matter. 27 / 01 / 2008