The mountains of garbage, the new tourist attraction in Paris

“I’ve never seen this” says an astonished Canadian. In Paristhe most visited city in the world, tourists must dodge the rubbish piled up in its iconic places by a strike by collectors against an unpopular pension reform.

On the banks of the Seine River, debris blocks the view of Notre Dame. To contemplate the famous cathedral built between the 12th and 14th centuries in the heart of the capital and damaged by a fire in 2019, one must abstract.

Tourists want to see the Eiffel Tower from the impressive Trocadero esplanade, but when they exit the metro, they must first walk through a wall of plastic bags. In the center, the once romantic alleys are strewn with boxes and cardboard, sometimes with spoiled food.

“I have never seen this in Canada”says Omera, a Canadian tourist with dyed-pink hair, just after taking a picture of the trash piled up in Saint Michel, in the Latin Quarter. “This will make the tourists run away!” forecast.

Martin Ruiz, an 18-year-old American, laments the smell: “It’s disgusting”. “The smell is unpleasant to be able to consume food or travel through the city”abounds Ángeles Mosqueda, a Mexican tourist, who wears a purple beret before the Paris Opera.

The German Claudia Harmand, accompanied by her “darling” French, explains the improbable “slalom through the garbage”, that “It kind of spoils the charm of the city.” “Not great” he acknowledges with a smile.

The City of Light, which received some 34.5 million tourists in 2022 according to the authorities, registers significant social discontent against a reform promoted by the liberal president Emmanuel Macron, which is opposed by two out of three French people.

To force the government to back down, the unions intensified their actions last week with extendable strikes in key sectors such as energy and transport, after having organized massive demonstrations in January and February.

“Obviously not the best”

In Paris, municipal garbage collection employees began their strike, which affects half of the capital, more than a week ago, and this Tuesday they decided to extend it until March 20.

One of them, Nabil Latreche, 44, denounces the fact of having to work longer, despite having a job “painful”.

“We work rain, snow or wind (…) When we are behind the truck, we breathe volatile things. We have many occupational diseases”assures.

when i retire, I know that I will live poor” with a pension of 1,200 euros (1,280 dollars) at the most, laments Murielle Gaeremynck, a 56-year-old woman, a garbage collector for two decades.

His colleagues from private companies, which operate in the rest of the capital, are facing the blockade of the incinerator plants. In total, 6,600 tons of garbage accumulate in the streets, a volume that increases every day.

On vacation in Paris, thousands of tourists find themselves immersed in the French social conflict. For Mark, from the US state of Kansas, empathy is relative.

“The strike will not change anything. If you have to retire later, then do it ”, assures the man, who is pushing his baby’s stroller.

The British Olivia Stevenson supports the strike insteads “anywhere”, either in France or the recent ones in your country. Garbage in Parisit spoils the sight and smell”but “retirement and salary is important to many people,” he explains.

“Obviously, it is not the best for foreign tourists”, acknowledges Jean-François Rial, the president of the Paris Convention and Tourism Office, but “it will not harm the image” from the city.

“Even two weeks without garbage collection had not harmed Naples”assures the man, for whom the social conflict will not take its toll “to the tourist frequentation of this wonderful city”.

Source;: AFP