Castellammare, the shadow of the €131 million mega-waste contract, amid penalties and administrative silence.

In Castellammare di Stabia, municipal waste management is not only a chronic urban cleanliness emergency, but also a complex jumble of legal and bureaucratic procedures. The service, currently managed by Velia Ambiente srl under a five-year contract worth approximately €60 million signed in 2023 under the administration of a special commissioner, continues to show significant flaws. These are confirmed not only by daily reports from residents, but also by official documents from the Municipality's Environmental Department.

In the memo filed on January 22, 2026 (in response to a question from Councilor Maurizio Apuzzo), the municipal offices and the department outlined a detailed account of the ongoing dispute. The Municipality has, in fact, ditched several mandatory aspects of the contract, imposing very heavy fines on the contractor:

• Separate waste collection at a standstill: In the second year of the contract, the separate waste collection rate failed to reach the established threshold of 56%. The result? A hefty €350.641,93 fine, contested in July 2025 and then deferred into five monthly installments to avoid jeopardizing the company's financial stability and the payment of workers' salaries.
• The "phantom" operational headquarters: The contract required the presence of an operational and legal headquarters in the city. Velia Ambiente proposed renovating an unused municipal warehouse at the Municipal Collection Center, but the City Council did not approve. Effective July 29, 2025, the Contract Execution Director (DEC) therefore imposed a daily penalty of €500, bringing the total amount to €50.000 (plus an additional €80.500 notified separately). The company responded by submitting a sworn appraisal certifying the lack of suitable areas and attempted to obtain authorization from the Southern Italy Special Economic Zone (ZES) for a lot on Via Annunziatella.
• Vehicle fleet and cumbersome deliveries: Between the summer and fall of 2025, fines abounded for missing vehicles (the "Ekò E4"), failure to clean the beach, and failure to update the Innovambiente portal. Only from October to December 2025 did spot checks reveal a realignment of the fleet.

However, these sanctions did not automatically resolve the issues: Velia Ambiente srl challenged all the main penalties before the Court of Naples – Specialized Business Section, turning the contract into an open court case.

The Extraordinary Commission's inertia and its "silent consent" regarding the SAD

While the current management appears troubled, the real sticking point lies in the future and the policy choices. And it is here that the Democrats and Progressives' political criticism dovetails perfectly with the technical findings provided by the RUP, the Administrative Officer, and the Environment Councilor.

The documentation reveals a history of omissions and "missing feedback" during the years of extraordinary management (established following the dissolution of the City Council due to mafia influence in 2022):

• The 2023 and 2024 gap: With regional law no. 19/2023, Campania reformed waste governance by offering municipalities the opportunity to "self-organize." By entering into an agreement (pursuant to Article 30 of the TUEL) between municipalities within the same Sub-District Area (SAD), Castellammare could have independently decided on the management model and led the tender process as the lead municipality. Despite the then-Director of the Environment (such as the email sent to the Extraordinary Commission on February 27, 2024), the Commissioner's administration never provided any policy guidance.
• The official merger and the appeal of neighboring cities: The Naples Area Authority (EDA Naples 3), faced with the inertia of the local authorities, redrew the boundaries, placing Castellammare di Stabia in SAD 2 together with Torre Annunziata and Vico Equense. This decision sparked a reaction from Torre Annunziata and Vico Equense, who challenged the resolution before the Campania Regional Administrative Court (TAR), complaining about the district's inconsistency and the lack of involvement of the Assembly of Mayors. Although the TAR later rejected the appeals in 2025 (affirming the EDA's legitimacy to restructure the SADs), Castellammare remained idle.
• "Tacit" adherence to the private model: Without the city ever discussing the issue in a council chamber or in a public debate, the deadline triggered the trap. As the municipal offices themselves candidly admitted, "in the absence of a different and contrary political direction expressed by the Extraordinary Commission then in office, it can be deduced that the Authority tacitly adhered to the management model established by the EDA."

A mega-contract worth 131 million: the politicians' demands

The tacit agreement means that the Naples 3 Department of Environmental Protection will directly manage the tender process for the assignment of waste collection, street sweeping, and transportation services to a private operator for the entire Sub-Area over the coming years. The estimated value of the mega-tender is approximately €131 million for a duration of eight years.

A financial and management operation with a colossal impact on a historically fragile territory, marked in the past by strong influences from organised crime in the waste disposal sector

Democrats and Progressives are therefore raising an alarm, declaring it unacceptable that a decision of this magnitude should be "imposed from above" and passively endured:

"Not having opened this discussion in the past was a mistake that Castellammare risks paying dearly today. [...] On a matter worth approximately €131 million and involving an essential service, there can be no gray areas."

The political group emphasizes that there is still time to intervene, given that the current contract with Velia Ambiente expires in 2028. Among the peremptory requests made to the Municipality and the competent authorities are:

• The immediate reopening of the public and council debate on the management model.
• Verification of the transparency of design costs: knowing who was entrusted with drafting the new Industrial Plan by the EDA, with what procedures and at what costs.
• A rigorous analysis of the public or mixed alternatives, permitted by regional legislation but effectively set aside without any real political discussion.

The ball is now in the city's court. Castellammare di Stabia faces a crucial crossroads: continue to pursue the emergency through fines and courtrooms, or regain democratic control of the most expensive and sensitive service for its citizens.