France: the garbage crisis sets fire to Marseille
Audio 01:14
Thousands of tons of waste invade the streets of Marseille.
The city's garbage collectors are on strike for the third time in four months.
© AFP/Christophe Simon
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
Thousands of tons of waste invade the streets of Marseille.
The city's garbage collectors are on strike for the third time in four months, engaged in a standoff against the metropolis, which has jurisdiction over garbage collection.
The inhabitants are exasperated and the situation has degenerated since, Monday, January 31, the Mistral, this north wind, rose.
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With our correspondent in Marseille,
Yoram Melloul
Perrine brings her daughter home from school, protecting herself as best she can from the wind that has been blowing over the city for two days.
Some gusts go up to 120 km/h.
“
When you go in front of the schools, it's mountains of garbage cans,
” she says.
In addition, with the gusts of wind, we take full nose.
»
In the neighboring district of Belsunce, an entire street overflows with rubbish just in front of Moustapha's store which sells fabrics.
“
Leaving the neighborhood like this for almost ten days is not normal.
The alley is blocked.
Even pedestrians cannot pass
,” he laments.
And exasperated residents set fire to the waste lying around the city.
“
There are dozens of fire starts throughout the city,
says Jean-Pierre Cochet, deputy mayor for Civil Security.
We know the risks incurred when there is a fire on a building that is often precarious.
We can't let things go to waste.
About fifteen garbage fires a day were noted by the city's marine firefighters.
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Towards a resumption of dialogue?
To avoid a disaster, the town hall uses garbage trucks.
The mayor of Marseille on Tuesday called on six dump trucks from private companies to collect the rubbish, an unprecedented measure in the second city of France.
In principle, it is the Aix-Marseille-Provence metropolis, led by Martine Vassal (LR), which is normally competent for waste management.
“
There is no communication from the metropolis and that maintains a kind of anxiety
, declares Sophie Camard, mayor of the 1st and 7th arrondissements.
There are many people from Marseille who are unaware of this distribution of powers between the city and the metropolis.
And who anyway tell us: "do something".
So I think we needed to lighten things up a bit.
»
The only glimmer of hope for the Marseillais, the timid announcement of the resumption of dialogue between Force Ouvrière, the majority union, and the metropolis which has summoned FO in summary proceedings in order to request the lifting of the blockages of transfer centers and garages where dump trucks are stored, preventing non-strikers from working freely.
►
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France
Employment and Labor
Waste