Tons of rubbish pile up in Paris as pension strike continues, feared rat invasion

Tons of rubbish pile up in Paris as pension strike continues, feared rat invasion

by

Watch: Tons of garbage pile up in Paris as pension strike continues, feared rat invasion

The accumulation of waste in Paris has now led to health problems

Tons of stinking garbage and rubbish have piled up on the streets of Paris as sanitation workers continue their strike against pension reform. BBC reported. In particular, the city’s garbage collectors have been on strike since March 6 over President Emmanuel Macron’s proposals to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.

Photos and videos shared on social media showed garbage bags piling up on the city’s normally picturesque streets, forming shoulder-high heaps of rubbish. As of Monday, more than 5,600 tons of uncollected trash littered the city’s roads. Three waste processing sites are blocked and a fourth is partially closed.

Watch the videos here:

The accumulation of rubbish in Paris has now led to health problems among Parisians, with many fearing a rat invasion is imminent. “It’s dirty, it attracts rats and cockroaches,” one Parisian complained on French radio.

“The strike is causing a change in rat behavior. They will rummage in garbage cans, reproduce there and leave behind their urine and feces. We face a worrying health risk for garbage collectors and the general population.” specialist Romain Lasseur told the newspaper Le Parisien.

Here are some other photos:

Not only Paris, cities such as Rennes, Le Havre and Nantes, Rennes have also been affected by the strike.

The reform would raise the retirement age for garbage collectors. They are currently retiring at the age of 57 due to the difficult working conditions and under the reforms they would have to work for another two years.

According to the daily newspaper Le Parisien, the strike will last at least until Wednesday, when union representatives will vote on whether or not to continue the strike.

Leave a Comment