Garbage in your park? Rome decides if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!

'La Bellezza sulla Monnezza'
Beauty wins over the Garbage Beast
photo from RomaToday

In an audacious move by Roma Capitale - or the Rome Municipality, the City decided to seriously 'think out of the box' and take on a new approach to garbage collection. By removing all the garbage cans* from one of its rather large parks. This experiment was launched on May 1st, and for the most part, was deemed somewhat successful. While more people brought their garbage out of the park nearer the large containers, they did see a larger accumulation around the canisters still left standing.
"The fact that people actually bothered to bring the garbage to one place rather than just leave it where they were picnicking for us is a huge success," remarked the AMA Garbage guys.  We hope that it catches on and more and more people who enjoy the park, actually take out what they put in.
Two months on, however, residents are reporting more and more garbage going uncollected than ever before. To the point that one of the rivers feeding into the Tiber has its very own garbage dam - made entirely of plastic bottles and reeds. 
"If nothing else, we've lightened the load on our work hours and workers. I mean, driving around the park every once in awhile and pretending we were doing it on a weekly basis was really maddening for all concerned. Now we just don't do it. This is one for transparent government."

*True story - only the quotes are made up (as usual)

You say tomato...I say toxic waste

Italians have their collective Dolce & Gabbana underwear in a twist over this cheeky advert that came out recently from tomato sauce purveyor, Pomì.  After so many reports, videos, and so much buzz about the fields of tomatoes that are actually smoking from only-San Gennaro-knows-what detritus is buried beneath them, coupled with a Mafia turncoats recent affirmations about the triangle of death where they've dumped nuclear waste and more...Well, I imagine that tomato eating has perhaps gone down.  A farmer on the report by the courageous women of Le Iene said he sold his rotten tomatoes to every major brand in Italy - which then went and turned them into bottled sauces and whatnot.  As for him, he risks his life just cultivating the cancerous fruits - the Lycopersicon symbol of the luscious Mediterranean lifestyle...

So, out came Pomì - in an attempt to squash the rumours...

Some have said that the North is just as polluted as the South - sure, with small particles and especially traffic.  But I'd take those particles sprinkled on my pasta over the stuff that's bubbling just below the earth in Caserta.

Bravo Pomì:  Now, just sign the change.org petition to force the magistrates to reveal the names of all those buyers of these toxic tomatoes. 

A new, similar report has come out on Olive Oil - revealing the not-so-breaking-news that - oops! - the olives aren't really from Italy.  This is something that's been out & about since the 1980s...with a terrific book exposing it Extra Virgin as well.

As for me, my eye-witness report on the olive oil scene is here:  http://burntbythetuscansun.blogspot.it/2010/08/unlocking-secret-of-italian-olive-oil.html