Waste collectors are on strike in Paris over the government’s proposal to raise the pension age to 64 up from 62. Consequently, trash in Paris is piling up, leaving thousands of tons of waste sitting in the streets, untouched.
One Paris resident spoke with on French Radio, claiming, “it’s dirty, it attracts rats and cockroaches.”
Since the waste collectors joined the strikes a week ago, three waste treatment sites have been barricaded and another is partially closed. Paris authorities are reporting that 5,600 tons of trash are waiting to be collected.
“The strike triggers a change in rat behavior,” said specialist Romain Lasseir to Le Parisen newspaper, “They’ll rummage around in bins, reproduce there, and leave their urine and droppings. We have a worrying health risk for refuse collectors and the general population.” Currently, it’s estimated the rat population is upwards of six million, more than double the human population of Paris.
A meeting is being held this week by collectors to determine if they should continue the protest.