Italy: The waste apocalypse
The "triangle of death" is the area north of Naples and south of Caserta. Since the end of the 1980s, toxic waste from all over Europe has been brought, buried, and burned here.
Campania Felix
Scattered trash near a vegetable field in Orta di Atella. Decades ago, it used to be the most fertile region in Campania, the vegetable garden of Europe. The Romans dubbed the region "Campania Felix" - lucky, or fertile Campania. For centuries, it was extremely popular as a holiday destination.
Concrete
28 million tons - that's how much toxic waste is deposited here, under vegetable fields, quarries, and unused land areas. But that's only an estimate from authorities, no one knows exactly how much toxic waste is here. But part of the waste is mixed with cement or concrete and systematically used in constructing buildings, highways, and expressways.
The displaced
On the grounds of the former landfill called Resit in Giugliano. While it's actually forbidden to live here, the Roma were transported here. In order to circumvent the high costs of disposing hazardous waste, industrial companies turned to the Camorra crime syndicate. It offered waste disposal at extremely low prices. The mafia dumped dioxins, arsenic, and even uranium on the land.
The family
Caivano, is a small city near Casal di Principe, where the feared Casalesi clan has its headquarters. Members of the Casalesi family are thought to be responsible for the contamination of big swathes of Campania.
Death
Obituaries in an area within the so-called "triangle of death." Here, many more people die of cancer than the country average, and the trend is only increasing. In the last years, tumor-related illnesses tripled here.
Resistance
Marzia, 40 years old, from Casalnuovo di Napoli. She moved there with her family from Naples, because she wanted to live in a place with better air. Her son Antonio died of cancer at 9. Since then, Marzia has been an activist with Noi genitori di tutti, an organization made up of parents who have lost their children to cancer.
Water
Regi Lagni, a system of canals, where one used to be able to swim. But the canals were misused as waste disposal facilities and are now severely contaminated. Around 3 million people live In the region, Many moved here in search of better living conditions for themselves and their families. What they found instead was illegally disposed industrial waste.
Law enforcers
Barrier tape from Corpo Forestale, a police unit investigating environmental crimes. It discovered this dumping ground in Calvi Risorta. With an estimated 2.5 million cubic meters of contaminated materials, it's the largest illegal hazardous waste site in Europe.
The future
On the grounds of the former Resit dumpsite in Giugliano. Scientists are predicting close to a doomsday scenario in the year 2064, when leachates contaminate the ground water. The region will then become completely polluted and uninhabitable.
Graffiti
Street art in Caivano. Part of the hazardous waste that's been disposed by industrial cities in the north in Campania resurfaces in the form of contaminated food products. Campania Felix is still among the most important fruit and vegetable producing areas in Italy. What grows here is distributed in supermarket chains all over Europe.