Rome gets dirtier.

In a recent survey carried out by Romes Agenzia per il controllo e la qualit dei servizi pubblici (public services quality control watchdog), just 81 per cent of the 1,200 streets examined in the second quarter of 2005 met the levels of hygiene required by the city authorities from its refuse collectors. The results are way off the 2005 target of 90 per cent and mark a substantial drop in standards from previous surveys; in 2003 some 86 per cent of streets were given the okay while 88 per cent were considered clean in late 2004. The cleanliness of the streets varies quite drastically from one municipality to the next. The dirtiest of Romes 20 boroughs is the area around the Tiburtina railway station. The cleanest with 95 per cent is that which comprises most of the area encircling Vatican City.