Over 400 soldiers were deployed on Monday in Naples to help clearing the rubbish accumulated on the streets.

The troops are part of a special emergency plan jointly launched by the government and the local authorities to save Naples from the ongoing waste crisis and the risk of an environmental catastrophe, state television Rai reported.

On Sunday Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi held an extraordinary summit aimed at finding a concrete solution to the emergency, which has already led to over 4,000 tons of waste piling along the roads and the outbreak of social unrest.

Discontent is spreading to all classes. In the morning businessmen, lawyers, teachers and families with kids took to the streets in protest against the degradation of the city.

The military first started clearing schools, hospitals and public buildings in an attempt to speed up the work carried out by the local waste management firms.

Paolo Giacomelli, local hygiene councilor, promised citizens that "Naples will celebrate a Christmas without rubbish."

"We hope that the situation will be better in a week's time and by 14 days the city should be cleared of all its waste," he added.

Minister in charge of coordination with the regions Raffaele Fitto on Monday guaranteed that each region will play its part in helping Naples by accepting to treat part of its rubbish in a sort of "burden-sharing approach".

The governor of the nearby region of Apulia, Nichi Vendola, has already offered to take all the garbage of Naples' and the rest of the Campania region.