Watch: Tons Of Garbage Pile Up In Paris As Pension Strike Continues, Rat Invasion Feared

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. Notably, the city's garbage collectors have been on strike since March 6 over  President Emmanuel Macron's proposals to raise the pension age from 62 to 64.

In photos and videos shared on social media, garbage bags could be seen piling up on the city's normally picturesque streets, forming shoulder-high piles of waste. Till Monday, more than 5,600 tonnes of uncollected garbage was piling up on the roads of the city. Three waste treatment sites have been blockaded and a fourth partially closed.

Watch the videos here:

Yesterday marked the Parisian waste collectors' 7th consecutive day of strikes against Pres. Macron's pension reforms. Over 5,400 metric tons of garbage have accumulated on the streets of Paris. La vie en rose!pic.twitter.com/WkRJgoqpW6

— Steve Hanke (@steve_hanke) March 13, 2023

Garbage Collectors' Strike - Is this Paris? pic.twitter.com/AoaNiKBxRD

— mandakini narain (@mandakininarain) March 13, 2023

🇫🇷Rubbish on the streets of Paris due to the indefinite general strike. pic.twitter.com/gh12hpLrzp

— Truthseeker (@Xx17965797N) March 14, 2023

The trash buildup in Paris has now sparked health concerns among Parisians, with many fearing that a rat invasion is imminent. "It's dirty, it attracts rats and cockroaches," complained one Parisian on French radio. 

"The strike triggers a change in rat behaviour. They'll rummage in bins, reproduce there, and leave their urine and droppings. We have a worrying health risk for refuse collectors and the general population." specialist Romain Lasseur told Le Parisien newspaper. 

Here are some other pictures:

Welcome to Paris 🗼😊 pic.twitter.com/1JvNwqblen

— Tayo Aina (@tayoainafilms) March 11, 2023

This is where I will give my talk this afternoon. Maison de la Recherche @Sorbonne_Univ_
The piles of garbage are because of a strike to protest pension reforms. pic.twitter.com/LDWGFjLZMG

— Elisabeth Bik is in the Netherlands (@MicrobiomDigest) March 13, 2023

Paris garbage men have been on strike for 4 days and now every street corner looks like this 😵‍💫 pic.twitter.com/S29ZvhyBsI

— † . (@Tianabaaaby) March 10, 2023

Not just Paris, cities like Rennes, Le Havre and Nantes, Rennes have also been affected by the strike.

The reform would increase the age of retirement for garbage collectors. They currently retire at the age of 57 because of difficult working conditions and under the reforms they would have to work for two more years.

According to the daily Le Parisien, the strike will last at least until Wednesday, when representatives from trade unions are set to vote on whether to continue striking.