Viral online video showing a Paris sanitation worker pushing garbage into Canal Saint-Martin sparked outrage as the municipality opened the canal for public swimming up until July 4.
The footage shows a municipal cleaning employee using a high-pressure hose to clear debris from a roadway bordering the canal. Several pieces of litter can be seen being blasted directly into the water, where they remain floating on the surface.
The incident comes at an awkward moment for Paris officials. Amid a summer heatwave, the Socialist mayor authorised public swimming in sections of the Canal Saint-Martin, presenting the move as part of broader efforts to improve urban liveability and water quality in the French capital.
🔴🇫🇷 𝗙𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗛 𝗜𝗡𝗙𝗢 — Au canal Saint-Martin, où se baignent les Parisiens, des agents de la propreté de la Ville de Paris jettent directement des déchets dans l’eau. pic.twitter.com/HTtuJeccQE
— Bastion (@BastionMediaFR) June 22, 2026
Paris authorities acknowledged that the employee’s actions did not comply with official cleaning procedures.
In a statement, they said that sanitation workers are instructed to direct debris toward sidewalks for collection rather than toward the canal.
“This action does not correspond to standard cleaning procedures,” the municipality said, while insisting that the video does not reflect the work of the city’s sanitation workforce as a whole.
Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire responded to the controversy on Instagram, describing the incident as an individual act rather than an official practice.
“You can clearly see this is individual behaviour and not a procedure,” Grégoire said, while praising sanitation workers for their efforts. He added that the conduct was unacceptable and pledged that “measures will be taken.”
Many responded to the mayor, arguing that this is not the first time such videos have been shared on social media. With one person publishing a similar video of one agent pushing garbage into the Seine.
Since June 20, people have been swimming in the canal to try and combat the intense heatwave pushing temperatures far above seasonal norms for mid-June.
The city also states that “clean-up boats are being deployed to collect waste” from the canal, with trips taking place “several times a week”.
