They’re talking trash in Naples, Italy — literally. For the past week, the city and its suburbs have been overwhelmed by garbage, which is oozing from dumpsters, blowing down sidewalks, causing school closures, blocking traffic, and dominating local conversation as residents and city officials alike wonder what to do about it. Although a solution is evasive, the problem itself is simple enough: The city has more trash than places to dump it. Dumps are full, residents didn’t want incinerators in their neighborhoods, environmentalists didn’t want incinerators at all, and last week, the garbage simply started overflowing. Protestors have begun burning dumpsters and citizens are walking around in face masks, either to breathe better or to make a point. Meanwhile, similar crises are set to unfold throughout Italy and Europe due to dense population and limited landfill space.
