Paris has been overwhelmed by more than 5,000 tons of waste as binmen remained on strike for a ninth consecutive day.

The French capital has felt the malaise of overflowing bins, black bags, cardboard boxes, empty crates and rotting smells which are permeating its streets.

The mess follows discontent and protests against President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to raise the general retirement age from 62 to 64, and from 57 to 59 for sanitation workers.

Mr Macron has pushed the pension reform bill through parliament and it is set to reach its climax despite strong opposition.

Other French cities also fell foul of uncollected garbage but capital Paris has naturally been under the spotlight and was scrutinised by district mayors and the public.

Tourist Nadiia Turkay said “it’s a bit too much because it was even hard to navigate some streets”, but empathised with the strikers, saying it was “for a good cause”.

Even the strikers themselves, which include binmen, street cleaners and underground sewer workers, voiced their concerns that Paris was deteriorating without their services.

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“It makes me sick,” said Gursel Durnaz, who protested for nine days. “There are bins everywhere, stuff all over. People can’t get past. We’re completely aware.

“Paris will be clean in three days providing Mr Macron withdraws his two-year retirement age increase plan.”

While some of the rubbish was hauled away early on Tuesday morning by a private company, according to TV station BFMTV, piles remain near the Paris Senate, Eiffel Tower and Elysee Palace.

‘We are among the invisible people’

Jamal Ouchen, a Parisian street sweeper, said: “What makes France turn are the invisible jobs. … We are unfortunately among the invisible people.”

He added that politicians wouldn’t “last a day” if they swapped places with them to learn how the city is kept clean.

Frederic Aubisse, a sewer worker, is at the forefront of the mobilisation against the pension plan and said: “Monsieur Macron wants us to die on the job.”

Wednesday is a key day for both the strikers and the French government, as demonstrators plan their eighth nationwide march since January.

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Simultaneously, a closed-door meeting will take place to reach a decision on the controversial bill – with a decisive vote potentially following on Thursday.

But Mr Aubisse said “nothing is written in stone”, citing a 2006 law to promote youth employment that was quickly rescinded after mass protests.

He added that If the same thing happens with the pension reform “things will happen…that’s sure”.

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