The EU’s environment commission has threatened to impose financial sanctions, heavy fines and other penalties to force Italy to comply with environmental standards. Emergency funds sent from Rome over the past decade have had little effect on the situation.
The Camorra — the local mafia, which controls the lucrative garbage industry — fills area dumps and incineration facilities with imported trash. With nowhere for local rubbish to be taken, it is piled up on the streets, where angry residents burn it — spewing toxins into the air.
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