dirt and dustbins in Paris

by Geraldine (Jan 24, 2005)

French consumption society is in great expansion and French people have a tendency to use up more than in the past.

Of course, the increase of consumption means the increase of the wastes we have to recycle. Unfortunately all the wastes and dirt don’t find a place in all the dustbins in the city of Paris.

The mayor of Paris has decided to create a special squad in order to sort out and to sanction any offence (waste dropped off the street, dirt on the public highway, feeding birds, urinating in the street, ... ). We call them the " Starky and Hutch of dirt and dustbins ..."

The city of Paris has made cleanliness its hobby horse.

It’s one of the priorities for this year : make the streets of Paris the most beautiful streets in the country and, why not, in the world.

Each year Paris spends more than 5 million Euros to clean the streets.

To begin with, the first mission of this squad is to track people who pollute, for example those who leave dirt on the public highway! The figures this year are amazing : in 2004, more than 16 tonnes of dirt were gathered by public services in Paris, more than 1,000 fines were distributed to dogs owners!

The second mission is to find out the owners of the wastes left on the pavement instead of in the dustbin. According to them, French people are too lazy to go 20 metres further in order to throw their paper in the trashcan. 

To do that, they don’t hesitate to put gloves on and to look inside the waste bag to find some clues. Once the happy owner has been found, they give him a fine whose amount will be chosen by a judge (between 0 and 200 Euros, and sometimes 400 Euros).

It’s not only humans who pollute the town and particularly the streets. There are also birds and especially pigeons. Pigeons are the most harmful birds flying in Paris. In fact, their dirt is very bad for the buildings. It makes them dirty and not very good-looking... That’s why it’s forbidden to feed them in the street with some bread.

The third mission of the special squad is to catch those people (called "les nourrisseurs" : the feeders) red-handed, and to give them a fine. It can reach 200 Euros too (that’s more than for forbidden parking!).

The worst thing that men can do is to urinate in public streets! This practise is everyday life in one of Paris’s streets which has the reputation of smelling urine. 

Paris ‘s squad caught 3 persons red-handed who were urinating just in front of a school with just a few minutes between each arrest. They were also given a heavy fine. Maybe it will be stop them feeling like urinating in the street !!

This incivility, which rots our everyday life, can’t last anymore! That’s why this very special squad roams in the streets of Paris. And you may have met them somewhere! Paris carries on with this cleanliness campagne to have clean streets. When will picking up dirt in the street be compulsory as in the USA?!

Are you for or against this law? What do you prefer : dirt in the dustbin or under your shoes?!

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