Chiaiano, autocompattaore giallo, emergenza rifiuti, Napoli, Italia, discarica di Chiaiano, rifiuti radioattivi, SIET

Chiaiano: the mistery of the yellow rubbish truck
23 days and no answer: what is a truck filled of radioactive material in an area of national strategic interested?
1 September 09 - Naples

“The night between the 7th and the 8th of August 2009, a truck filled of radioactive material has been seized in the landfill of Chiaiano, in Naples”, writes the Italian paper il Messaggero.

It is claimed that the rubbish truck contains also radioactive waste, possibly Iodine 131, a material used in radiotherapy. It is also written that the truck was stopped at the entrance of the landfill of Chiaiano thanks to the “promptness” of the soldiers of the task force Alpha of the riflemen brigade Garibaldi, who are guarding the landfill.

However, on 11th of August the Permanent Garrison against the Landfill of Chiaiano and Marano (Presidio Permanente Contro la Discarica di Chiaiano e Marano) sends around a press release saying that “the truck was passing by Cinque Cercole street (one of the landfill’s entrances) and was protagonist of protest by the local citizens and for this reason it was stopped thereafter.”

h28 August 2009, Lanfill of Chiaiano seen from above. Picture taken by Cecilia Anesi hh

Thus, it was rather citizen’s surveillance that has stopped dangerous waste from being unloaded with impunity in the landfill, especially since nothing had prevented the truck from entering an area of national strategic interest, being its current position internal to the military area, and next to the landfill.

The Italian paper La Repubblica reported that “the truck was then transferred in a security area, for the right checks by firemen and the judiciary authority to take place.”

Unfortunately we have got to challenge this information. Reality is that the truck is still in the same place, where it was parked 23 days ago, as the pictures taken on 28th of August witness. And we shall doubt its security, since the truck is extremeley close to the inhabited centre.

Citizens are worried. What is that truck still doing there? What is that stain of leachate that is slowly growing and growing on the truck’s side? Who has sent this truck to Chiaiano? And if it is true, as La Repubblica has written, that “other 35 times the military task force, coordinated by the general Mario Morelli, vicar of the undersecretary Guido Bertolaso, has stopped unauthorised loads of waste directed towards Chiaiano”, why it gets unveiled only today?

28 August 2009. S.I.E.T's yellow truck parked next to the landfill. Picture taken by Cecilia Anesi

28 August 2009. S.I.E.T's yellow truck parked next to the landfill. Picture taken by Cecilia Anesi

10 August 2009. Stain of leachate. Picture taken by the Permanent Garrison against the Landfill of Chiaiano and Marano

28 August 2009. Close shot of the truck. Picture taken by Cecilia Anesi

The yellow truck is owned by the Sicilian stock company S.I.E.T. - Servizi industriali ecologici tecnici of Lanza Antonino, which serves also Naples (“Rifiuti, immagini tra ‘800 e ‘900” by Alinari.)

It is still unclear whether S.I.E.T. knew about its truck being sent to Chiaiano’s landfill, and in this case it would still worth discovering whether there is an agreement between S.I.E.T. and the company that manages the landfill.

But transparency, even though largely publicised by the Undersecretary of State for Waste Emergency in Campania and widely publicised through the CCTVs of the website www.emergenzarifiuticampania.it, seems to be the only missing element in all this story.

When citizens wonder licit questions, the government should give an answer.

written by Cecilia Anesi and Giulio Rubino

this article was also published on the website chiaianodiscarica.it, to read click here. , on Agoravox.it, to read click here, and on Voce dell'Emergenza, to read click here.