Berlusconi claims trash victory

NAPLES, Italy (CNN) -- For years, it's been a national embarrassment. Over the past year, it's spiraled into a crisis damaging Italy's image all over the world: the heaps of garbage lining the streets of Naples.

The stench alone has kept many visitors away. It began more than 14 years ago, but flared up last year when official dumps were declared full. Residents with no options simply dumped their trash along streets and sidewalks.

Mixed in with standard household trash are old appliances, furniture and containers of chemical solvents.

The European Commission called the trash a threat to the environment and human health, in breach of European Union rules on waste disposal. In May the commission said it was bringing the case before the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.

But now, three months after Silvio Berlusconi won an election to become prime minister again, many of these areas have been cleaned up.

He sat down for an exclusive interview with CNN to declare that the worst of the crisis is over.

"The streets and the squares of Naples, and the rest of the region, are back to being what they were always supposed to be like: Western, therefore clean cities, civilized and without the shadow of garbage left in the streets," he said.

The key, he said, was "to bring the state back to this region and to Naples.

"What I mean is that the state could not continue to accept situations that went against the law, and it could not continue to accept the impositions of minorities, sometimes small but well organized, which opposed decisions taken by state institutions. We imposed legality even through the use of force."

He was referring to the groups that fought against opening new landfills -- particularly residents who don't want dumps in their neighborhoods.

Berlusconi launched a massive clean-up operation, involving the military and security forces to guard the landfills.

A new incinerator has been under construction for years and is expected to be in operation by the end of the year.

Berlusconi said he also plans to build three more incinerators in the area. "We actually hope to speed up construction works with three working shifts that will include weekends," he said. "So we hope to complete them in two years."

A specialized company will pick up items that don't belong in general trash incinerators, Berlusconi said.

Even still, there are big concerns over long-term plans. The prime minister warns it will be a few years before the city can handle garbage in a permanent way.

A viable, lasting garbage collection program is still missing. And while more and more of the world is turning to recycling, it's rarely done here -- and many people don't understand the idea.

On the outskirts of Naples, one old woman emptying her trash bin into a big pile along the street told CNN, "It is disgusting. There is a slight improvement -- they do collect the garbage every day -- but the large bins are still missing, and we don't know how to recycle."

Berlusconi told CNN, "In Naples we have to undertake civil education. We want to reach the point where we don't see any paper in the streets anymore... What we have to do is to teach recycling, which is what happens in all modern countries."

He added: "Just think: 60 percent of the total garbage collected in this area is made up of packaging, which is recyclable. So for this we have an education program which will start in the schools and will reach the whole population."

In the meantime, authorities here will face the daily challenge of keeping the new reality in place -- by keeping the streets of Naples clean.

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