In January 2016 the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris was drained for the first time in fifteen years. What was found is shocking and paints a detailed picture of the sort of damage litter is doing to the planet.
Not everyone has respect for nature.
10Meet the Team
To begin, the team drained the canal so that only fifty cm of water was left.
9Rescuing Fish
Nearly five tons of fish were rescued at this phase before draining the rest of the canal. This allowed them to search for the “real” treasure…
8Party (Too) Hard
Amongst the garbage is the usual litter. In this instance, there were loads of beverage bottles. The canal is in a nice district but allegedly has a very active night-life, explaining the unusual amount of bottles.
7But It Gets Weirder…
Things quickly get stranger. Broken chairs and at least one shopping cart were found. Who takes a shopping cart to a canal and decides to toss it out there?
6Motorcycles?!
Multiple motorcycles were also found. How did they even get there? And why?
5A Bicycle Built for None
Perhaps less surprisingly, bicycles were found, too. Amazing that they had the energy to ride a said bike but not enough to dispose of it properly.
4Relics of the Past
Remember when radios had cassette decks? The canal does.
3Pictures of What?
Maybe it’s too much to hope for, but wouldn’t it be great if there were film inside?
2Put It In Perspective
The canal is three miles long. Think about that for a second: three miles of junk.
1But Has It Always Been This Way?
The drainage was estimated to take three months to finish. Forty tons of garbage were hauled off during the last drainage. As shocking as these photos are, is it any better or worse than previous years?
