NPR

In Rome, Uncollected Trash Festers In Scorching Heat

Doctors have warned of health risks from tons of garbage rotting in the Italian capital's streets during the summer's hot spells.
Trash piles in Monteverde, a residential neighborhood in Rome. During this scorching hot summer, the city's residents and visitors are being tested by a massive trash crisis that has prompted doctors to warn of the possible spread of diseases as birds, vermin and wild animals scavenge amid the rotting refuse.

Rome is known as the Eternal City. Over many centuries, it has been sacked by marauders and repeatedly resurrected from decline. But this summer, Roman residents are being tested by a massive trash crisis that has prompted doctors to warn of the possible spread of diseases as birds, vermin and wild animals scavenge amid the rotting refuse.

Already, flocks of cawing seagulls have replaced traffic roar as the soundtrack of Roman life.

No need for them to dive for fish in the sea 15 miles away, when they can feast on garbage strewn across the city. Some neighborhoods have

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