Marseille covered by week of rubbish

Marseille covered by week of rubbish


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WASTE PILES UP ON STREETS OF FRANCE'S SECOND BIGGEST CITY AS STRIKING BINMEN PREVENT COLLECTIONS FOR SEVENTH DAY RUNNING RESIDENTS in Marseille have found themselves surrounded by


thousands of tonnes of rubbish as a strike by binmen nears its second week. Local authorities in the city say the piles of waste lining the streets present a major public health risk, and


are growing by about 1,600 tonnes a day. Marseille agglomeration president Eugène Caselli accused Bronzo, the private company that has been clearing Marseille's rubbish for the past 20


years, of "taking the city hostage" by stopping collections. The strike was called last Thursday after it was announced that the company is set to lose its contract with the


council at the end of this year. Fearing for their jobs, about 100 workers have been blockading the entrance to the city dump since then, making rubbish collections impossible. One angry


shopkeeper said: "Right in the middle of the Toussaint holidays, with tourists from the cruise liners flooding the streets, Marseille has the image of a huge dustbin." This is not


the first time France's second biggest city has found itself under a pile of rubbish. The worst strike was in 2003, one of the hottest summers on record, and coincided with a visit by


the judges assessing the city's bid to host the 2007 America's Cup, which ended up going to Auckland.