Ecogiustizia subito». This is the banner that Legambiente activists displayed this morning to demand immediate clarity on the environmental emergency that has affected the entire Tyrrhenian Sea since last spring due to the dispersion of plastic discs («carriers») that leaked from the Capaccio-Paestum purification plant. Right on the beach near the mouth of the Sele, where the plastic discs poured into the sea, about fifty Legambiente volunteers staged a protest to ensure attention on this issue remains high. A blitz carried out at the same time as the passage along the coast of Goletta Verde, the historic Legambiente campaign that is currently stopping in Campania. And from the vessel, upon arrival near Paestum, the crew raised the banner "What a shame!", because if on the one hand the mystery of the origin of these disks seems to have been solved, on the other the pollution that this waste is causing does not stop. "In recent days, through our lawyers, we have filed a request for access to the documents with the Public Prosecutor's Office to gain knowledge of the investigation underway - says Francesca Ferro, director of Legambiente Campania -. An investigation that we hope can be concluded as soon as possible, identifying those responsible for this environmental disaster who we expect will be prosecuted for the crime of environmental pollution as provided for by law 68/2015 on eco-crimes. Legambiente is ready to join the criminal proceedings as a civil party, which we hope can begin as soon as possible"
Many discs are still floating in the sea, continuing their unstoppable journey: the latest reports received by Clean Sea Life—the European project aimed at raising public awareness of marine litter, in which Legambiente is a partner—confirm their presence in Sete, France, 200 km off the Spanish coast, and in Ustica and Milazzo, Sicily (the updated map of findings is available here: https://cleansealife.it/index.php/dischetti-2/). Unfortunately, however, the first evidence of their impact on animals is starting to emerge: news has arrived from France in recent days that a turtle being treated at the Grau du Roi center (CESTMed) expelled one of these discs, along with its feces. A turtle that had been accidentally caught by a trawler in the Camargue, in the same area and around the time another individual was found dead, and analysis revealed a similar disc in its digestive tract. At the end of March, the Salerno Port Authority, acting on orders from the Salerno Public Prosecutor's Office, seized the sewage treatment plant in the Capaccio-Paestum area. The plant is located near the mouth of the Sele River and on its banks, and the plastic discs (carriers) had leaked from it, later found along much of the Tyrrhenian coast. This measure was also necessary to prevent further spills. Coast Guard personnel were able to confirm the leakage of the filters. Due to a structural failure in one of the plant's tanks, they spilled into the Sele River and then into the Tyrrhenian Sea, where, due to the currents, they practically flooded our seas. Investigations are currently underway to determine the causes of the carrier leak and the level of pollution.
"We are grateful to the Coast Guard, which identified the source of the very serious pollution caused by plastic discs that damaged over 500 km of the Tyrrhenian coast," added Davide Sabbadin, spokesperson for Goletta Verde. "Just as we are grateful to the many people throughout Italy who, adhering to the appeal of Legambiente and Clean Sea Life since March, took action to collect the beached discs, recovering over 150 thousand of them, along with several other quintals of waste with the #cacciaaldischetto campaign. As we have reiterated, however, from the very beginning, the removal operations cannot be entrusted only to the will and dedication of citizens. The Ministry of the Environment and the Regions involved must take action to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the impact of the plastic spill and to quickly start an adequate remediation plan. We are faced with an emergency that cannot be resolved only thanks to the voluntary commitment of citizens as has happened up to now." Legambiente, with Goletta Verde, has been denouncing the inadequacy of our country's purification plants for years. A structural deficiency for which we have been condemned to pay the EU a fine of 25 million euros, plus 30 million every six months until we comply. Added to this is the problem of monitoring and maintaining the plants to prevent the repetition of similar very serious accidents.
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