[3] The United Nations Environment Programme estimated that criminal organizations earned approximately $20–30 billion USD from environmental crimes.
[4] According to a 2024 report by Legambiente, the entire illegal waste disposal market in Italy was worth €8.8 billion in 2023 and was dominated by more than 300 mafia clans.
In Italy, the term ecomafia is generally used to describe criminal syndicates which traffic and illegally dispose of industrial, commercial, and radioactive waste.
Mafia-related organizations frequently illegally bury waste in southern Italy and build real estate on top of the dumps.
[10] The region became known as the "Land of pyres" (terra dei fuochi) because of the common criminal practice of burning toxic waste to dispose of it.