Authorities in the French Mediterranean city of Marseille are deploying trucks to clear "dangerous" street rubbish that has accumulated amid an ongoing feud with garbage collectors.
Marseille Mayor Benoît Payan said an "exceptional reponse" was needed to address the "exceptional situation", with 2,900 tonnes of rubbish still littering city streets.
While the garbage strike, led by the trade union FO (Force Ouvrière) carries on, Payan said his mobilisation of trucks was a health and safety issue.
"We have been facing a rubbish crisis for four months that is taking on dangerous proportions," he said.
"There have been dozens of rubbish fires since the weekend and a mistral wind coming in at over 100km/h.
🔴 A situation exceptionnelle, réponse exceptionnelle !
— Benoît Payan (@BenoitPayan) January 31, 2022
Face à des dizaines d’incendies de poubelles et aux alertes météo, j’ai informé ce soir le @Prefet13 que je vais déroger au droit des collectivités à la répartition des compétences entre la Ville et la Métropole.
1/2 pic.twitter.com/Bi2pDnN31m
Bailiffs brought in
As of Monday evening, bailiffs have been appointed by the city to note the public order problems caused by the presence of the waste, including on the public highway.
The municipality is "urgently calling in companies [...] to collect the excess rubbish that is blocking the streets and poses a fire hazard and a danger of water and natural environment pollution".
A legal standoff between the city of Aix-Marseille-Provence and the FO union concerning the garbage collectors' strike was played out on 28 January in Marseille's administrative court.
A decision would be made "soon", the court said.
