Environmental Lawyer Challenges Cement Plant Waste Burning in Italy

The protagonist of this story is not a man, indeed he is not a person at all, since it is the environment. At the very least, there are several protagonists, some of whom fight for the air and soil that surround us, others forget its importance in the name of business.

But overall, the nature that surrounds us reigns supreme. For this reason different associations entitled to protect the environment have gathered in Basilicata, a region of southern Italy as beautiful as attentive to these problems.

Some of them are very well known, even outside Italy, while others are smaller and have been formed precisely in defence of that air that citizens can no longer breathe because of the harmful fumes of industries.

Fumes from incinerators, asbestos, are just some of the substances that citizens have been inhaling for years and without a proper intervention from the State, they will continue to inhale for who knows how long.

A cement factory disposes of the waste by burning it

On the outskirts of Matera, a magnificent city unique in the world for the beauty of its extraordinary natural architecture, there is a large industry specializing in cement production.

The production chain of doughs obviously ends with a certain amount of waste that needs to be disposed of. The quickest and cheapest way to get rid of waste, which is allowed by law, is to burn it as long as there is an official authorization from the Region.

Thus, from the chimneys of this large plant, thousands of tons of fuel derived from various waste and plastics come out every year in the form of smoke.

What is worse is that the Region has authorized the disposal of thousands tons of additional waste.

Fumes could be dangerous to health

The fumes disperse in the air and people, unaware, breathe them, swallow them through the particles that settle on vegetables in the fields, wear them with clothes stretched out on open air to dry.

In some cases they are harmless particles that do not cause damage to health, but it is not always true.

There are cases where the first problem is to the detriment of the right to health and the right of every citizen to claim to live in a healthy and salubrious environment.

However, the implications also exist in other areas, which are not closely related to the environmental factor. Just think of the impact that pollution can have on tourism, agriculture, food and wine. There are many small farms that are based right near the colossal plant.

For this reason, studies should exist that can assess the impact of this disposal on thepopulation,  monitoring the incidence of particular diseases linked to pollution and the increase in mortality, as well as on nature, by observing changesin the purity of water, soil and air.

Unfortunately, these expensive studies are not always commissioned by the municipalities and the Regions charged with monitoring the pollution of their territory. So, it happens that companies get permission to emit polluting fumes without worrying about the health of citizens.

It is a problem, however, felt not only by the citizens of Matera but by all the peoples of the other neighbouring regions. Yes, because even if the impact on health or the environment turns out to be of little value, it is still a very serious problem with which it becomes increasingly difficult to live with: the stink.

Damage must also be avoided to local businesses

Set aside invisible particles that hopefully are harmless, it is really annoying step outside with your nose pinched all along the way.

On some days, when the wind blows in a certain direction, the windows must just remain closed and with the warm winters of the South and its scorching summers, the problem gets serious.

The clothes cannot be laid, the dog cannot go out to do the needs and tourists, the ones who like long walks or bike tours in the mountains straddling the Basilicata and the other regions, are forced to stay closed in hotels.

All aboard to the environmental lawyer

It was necessary to rely on a lawyer who is experienced in environmental issues, so experienced that he was also appointed local president of a major association that protects flora and fauna.

In his theses there is a need to assess three aspects: the health of citizens, the balance between the interests of nature and those of economic activities, the opinions of the entities responsible for monitoring.

Not only that, but he also points the finger at the opening of a quarry useful to obtain the material needed to produce the cement. Every day, vehicles start from this quarry, raising dust and cloiding the traffic of the highway.

And then he asks to take into account the fact that a waste disposal plant is already available in the city. Because of the demographic decline it has less and less material to process and it could easily take charge of the waste generated by private industry.

This would avoid increasing the amount of plastics and materials that are stored and burned in the open air with lethal fumes for everyone.

Waiting to get the pre-trial suspension

In fact, there are no particular contraindications to this activity that is annoying for smell but to which no scientific study has ever associated objective damage to health and the environment.

This could be a problem for the appeal which called for the immediate suspension of the authorised disposal by the Basilicata Region of the additional amounts of waste, up to five times higher than the current one.

An awakening of consciences

While waiting for the Italian administrative justice to comment on the case, declaring whether the cement factory should actually suspend waste disposal activities because it is potentially harmful to people and environment, it must be said that the case has aroused a great deal of interest and has made the population more aware of the air that is being breathed.

Other complaints have also started, alongside the exposé presented by the environmental lawyer, calling for precautionary measures to be taken to stop the negative effects on the environment and human health.

They were also submitted to the European Union to inform it of the need to check whether the Italian rules authorising these activities were taken in accordance with European rules on the burning of industrial solid waste.

Even in Sicily trouble for the cement factory

This case has awakened consciences even in Sicily, where several exhibits have been presented to the judiciary. The judges were asked to investigate the possible violation of rules to protect the environment and the health of citizens and workers, involving both the Sicilian headquarters of the cement plant at the origin of the case, and other cement mills that use the same techniques to dispose of waste.