Heaps of burning trash

Naples, Italy

Naples is smothering under yet another garbage crisis. Mountains of trash have piled up 10 feet high all over the city because trash collectors have nowhere to dump it. The stench was already becoming unbearable when residents began to set fire to the piles; now the toxic fumes are making the smell even worse. Local “garbage czar” Guido Bertolaso tried to quit last week, but the government refused to accept his resignation. Naples residents have long blocked plans to create new landfills in their communities. In 2004, a similar trash crisis sparked weeks of protests.