Paris (CNN) Garbage problem in the City of Light.
Massive strikes in Paris against pension reforms this week have affected the French capital’s garbage collection service, leaving the city’s usually picturesque scene, including right next to monuments such as the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe. Many of its beautiful streets are littered with piles of waste.
A spokesman for the Paris mayor’s office said about 4,400 tonnes of garbage were waiting to be collected as of Saturday. A spokeswoman said the problem was a blocked garbage incinerator caused by the strike. Garbage trucks are unable to collect garbage in many parts of the city. Because there is no place to throw garbage.
Not all regions are equally affected. The city government is responsible for garbage collection in half of his 20 arrondissements in Paris. His remaining 10 will be paid for by private contractors.
Trash cans can be seen overflowing on the streets of Paris on Saturday.
Since then, city services such as garbage collection in Paris have been affected Tuesday, when flights or trains are canceled or delayed due to strikes. A blocked oil refinery. School was closed. And left thousands of people without electricity. The French capital was hit hardest, with nearly 60% of his primary school teachers out and the local subway forced to stop running all but the busiest hours.
Large-scale protests regularly take place across France From January 19thmore than one million people to voice their opposition to the government’s plan to raise the official retirement age for most workers as part of the reform of the government’s pension system, one of Europe’s most generous pension systems. of people gathered.
About 4,400 tonnes of garbage were waiting to be collected on the streets of Paris on Saturday, according to a spokeswoman for the mayor’s office.
President Emmanuel Macron’s government says changes are needed to stabilize the system financially.
The accumulation of garbage in Paris has raised health concerns among Parisians and local politicians. 17th arrondissement mayor Geoffroy Boulard said in an interview with CNN affiliate BFMTV that Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo asked Mr. Hidalgo to intervene by hiring a private service provider.
“I can’t wait,” he said. “This is a public health issue.”
Boulard said he was worried not only about the image of Paris, but also about the proliferation of rats and rodents.
Another regional mayor, Jean-Pierre Lecoq of the 6th arrondissement, called on Hidalgo to intervene in an open letter published on Twitter.
