The Italian army was called in early Monday to help clear piles of trash that went uncollected for more than two weeks in the Naples area, while residents in a city suburb set up roadblocks to protest the reopening of a garbage dump. Before dawn, army engineers used bulldozers to scoop up trash from the streets of Caserta, near Naples, working mainly around schools, which were reopening Monday after the Christmas break, the defense ministry said.The garbage crisis in the southern port city and the surrounding Campania region began December 21, when collectors stopped picking up trash because there is no more room for it at dumps.
With garbage accumulating across the city, residents have taken to burning the stinking mounds, raising alarm over toxic fumes.
The mayor of Naples appealed to residents Saturday to stay calm over the crisis, but scattered clashes between youths and police continued, news reports said.
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