Victims in the ‘Land of Fires’: Illegal Waste Disposal in the Campania Region, Italy

Abstract

The `Land of Fires' indicates an area in Campania, in the south of Italy, where, systematically, since the end of the 1980s, toxic wastes have been illegally burned and buried. Organized mafia-like crime plays a significant role in the illegal management of waste in this area; however, organized mafia-like criminals are not the only players. Although in the public opinion the mafia clans are the most important subjects involved in the illegal waste business, a significant role is also played in this field by many businessmen, firms, and bureaucrats. Corruption is a crucial element that connects all these actors in the waste sector, characterized by the grant of public licenses and authorizations. All these conditions hamper the competition and facilitate the creation and the development of oligopolistic forces, where the strength of mafia intimidation turns out to be particularly effective. The weak enforcement power at both national and regional levels has been used to explain this widespread illegal situation, but responsibilities actually lie at various governance levels, spanning from inefficient bureaucracy to political patronage and criminal malfeasance. Moreover, the lack of adequate (and effectively enforced) waste management policies has created institutional and regulatory uncertainty, which has fostered the illegal market of waste. On these premises, the case study shows the role that local associations and organizations have played in the land of fires becoming a reference point for the victims of those waste-related environmental crimes. The findings obtained throughout the development of an affiliation network analysis allow us to say that victims are strengthening their relationships with local associations in the network and are starting to reinforce their sociopolitical and judicial actions. The increasing level of victims' organizational activities in the land of fires from 2008 up to now is, in fact, creating public awareness on the impacts of illegally disposing and burning of waste, thus shedding light on the capacity of civil society to influence policy changes and decision makers at national level.