Authorities in Catania, Sicily, Italy, released video on 19/2 showing a small dog carrying a trash bag along Via Pulacara in the San Giorgio district, stopping to deposit it by the roadside. The city's environmental police unit published the surveillance footage, which captured the dog discarding the waste bag on the street.
Local officials confirmed that the animal had been trained to help its owner avoid being filmed while illegally dumping trash. The owner's actions were described as "both cunning and doubly wrong," polluting the city and intentionally circumventing the law by exploiting an innocent pet.
"Respect for urban aesthetics and the environment is everyone's duty," Catania authorities emphasized, adding that the dog's owner was fined.
Illegal trash dumping is a persistent issue across Italy, particularly severe in the southern regions and smaller islands, where waste collection rates sometimes reach only 57%, leading to trash accumulation for days. Rome also faces a high rate of waste tax evasion.
According to the environmental organization Legambiente, nearly 10,000 waste-related violations, including illegal dumping, burning, and unauthorized burial, are recorded annually in Italy. This has prompted many municipalities to install surveillance cameras to monitor such illicit activities.
In Palermo, hundreds of cameras and camera traps have been deployed across the area. Officials state that 93% of fines for illegal dumping violations result from camera evidence.
Fines for this offense range from USD 1,770 to USD 21,200, with some cases potentially leading to criminal charges.
Vu Hoang (According to CNN, Guardian, AFP)
