Translated automatically by AI from the Italian original.
SYRACUSE / POLITICS – A political and administrative earthquake has shaken waste management in the province of Syracuse. The special administration of SRR ATO Siracusa Provincia, triggered by the resignation of the board and formalised by regional decree 14/GAB on 12 October 2026, has sparked a fierce institutional attack from Luca Cannata, vice-chair of the Budget Committee in the Chamber of Deputies.
At stake is the new tender for street cleaning, waste collection and transport in the Syracuse area, worth an estimated €160 million, expected ahead of the expiry of the current contract on 30 June 2027.
Cannata (FdI): “Self-imposed special administration proves failure”
The national MP from Fratelli d’Italia has announced he is filing a detailed freedom of information request addressed to the Municipality of Syracuse and the SRR, involving their respective anti-corruption and transparency officers and copied to the Prefecture.
“About €160 million for the new waste service and an SRR placed under special administration just as it must prepare the award. Those who pay the municipal waste tax (TARI) are entitled to a clean city and to know how decisions are made that will weigh on the service for years. The special administration certifies, politically, the failure of the previous management. It was the Municipality of Syracuse itself that urged the Region to intervene: politically, this is self-imposed special administration. The administration that helped run the system asked for help because that system could no longer function normally.”
Cannata directly challenged the mayor of Syracuse Francesco Italia and the member of the Sicilian Regional Assembly Giuseppe Carta:
“Carta exercises a ‘shadow mayor’ role and that influence must come with public responsibility. It was the regional department led by Francesco Colianni, from the same political camp, that appointed the commissioner. Italia, Carta and Grande Sicilia must explain the choices made and how they intend to emerge from this crisis. On a €160 million deal, we need a clear project, a defined duration and a verifiable schedule.”
Questions over staff selections and TMB dossier
Cannata’s criticism is not limited to plant governance and procurement procedures, but also covers issues related to staff and disposal sites.
The MP highlights anomalies in the SRR’s external recruitment, noting that as of 9 November, the recruitment notices were not available on the company portal, while on the website of the body in charge the profiles were “not open” pending regional approval of the staffing plan: “Rules, notices and timelines must be visible and verifiable by everyone.”
Finally, Cannata announced an imminent investigation into the controversial chapter of the Mechanical Biological Treatment (TMB) plant: “The SRR’s special administration comes after the TMB case. We will return to that issue with a specific investigation, starting from the documents and the decisions taken on the plant’s location. Transparency begins with the documents and is measured in the answers given to citizens.”
