Italian officials intensify crackdown on illegal waste dumping and beach occupations

Municipal police and environmental guards in Benevento carried out surprise inspections of recycling points, identifying citizens and outsiders illegally discarding waste outside permitted hours and issuing fines.

In Otranto, the naval finance police seized a 60‑square‑metre maritime demarcation after finding an unlawful bypass that discharged ship‑yard effluents directly into the sea, citing serious breaches of the Environmental Code and lacking proper permits.

Coastal authorities in Sicily and other regions have seized numerous beach installations placed without authorization. In Castellammare del Golfo, the Coast Guard confiscated umbrellas, sun‑beds and other equipment occupying about 75 m² of demarcated shoreline and filed a complaint for unlawful occupation of maritime demesne. Similar actions were taken in Santa Marinella, where a fisherman was fined and about 1,500 sea‑urchins seized for exceeding legal catch limits, and in Napoli’s Coroglio beach, where an illegal lido with roughly 200 umbrellas and a makeshift bar was dismantled after citizen reports. Additional raids in Marina di Priolo removed an illegal campsite and related gear.

All operations are part of coordinated campaigns such as “Mare e Laghi Sicuri 2026” and local environmental protection drives, aiming to prevent pollution, protect public marine resources and enforce compliance with waste‑management and coastal‑use regulations.