On Saturday, 20 June 2026, at the Grandate station in the province of Como, a witness filmed a campervan driver with foreign license plates emptying a chemical toilet cassette into a tree-lined flowerbed. The video spread on social media, triggering a wave of indignation among locals.
Dumping black and grey water onto the ground is prohibited under Article 185, paragraph 4 of the Italian Highway Code. The incident reflects tensions caused by overtourism on Lake Como: the surge in visitors has strained infrastructure and driven up housing costs, and such violations are seen by residents as a breach of hospitality. Thousands of similar complaints have accumulated in the region in recent years.