NAPLES, Italy, April 25 (UPI) -- Amid opposition to opening new landfills, a trash crisis in Naples, Italy, has worsened, with 1,500 tons of uncollected garbage in the streets, officials said.
Mounds of trash rose higher than usual because garbage plants only worked half a day Easter Sunday and only 900 tons of garbage was picked up compared to a daily collection of 1,300-1,400 tons, ANSA reported Monday.
The piles were so high disposal vehicles were unable to manage them and trucks were backed up at dumps, Hygiene Councillor Paolo Giacomelli said.
Residents trying to clear a way through the trash have set a number of fires in the garbage piles in the last few weeks, he said.
"I'm very worried because fires cause public health risks because of the emission of dioxins into the air," he said.
"I think that as temperatures rise over the coming days we absolutely have to find a solution to reduce the quantity of refuse still in the streets."
He appealed to local authorities to move forward on approving disposal in new landfills.
