Victims in the Land of Fires: a case study on the consequences of buried and burnt waste in Campania, Italy

This report intends to show the importance of engaging the victims of environmental crime in the implementation of environmental policies and the enforcement of laws to better combat the environmental crimes. Indeed, the results show that, in the Land of Fires, since 2008 the consolidation of grassroots organizations has been increasing public awareness on the impacts of illegal waste disposal, thus, shedding light on the capacity of the civil society to influence policy changes and decision makers at different institutional levels. There is still room in Italy for major changes to occur in terms of preventing future environmental injustices. Since the enforcement of waste control regulations remains weak, it is desirable that legislators and institutions make stronger efforts to increase public participation in environmental decision-making (e.g., public hearings for environmental impact assessments, citizens’ control of tenders for remediation of contaminated land and waters, direct involvement of citizens in the implementation of the precautionary principle) and to empower citizens by giving them greater access to pollution and health information.