Literally throws away tray from French city (5)
I believe the answer is:
lille
'french city' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
I can't explain the rest of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for lille that I've seen before include "City of N. France" , "Eurostar stop" , "[FRANCOPHOBIA] would prevent you appreciating it" , "City in northern France, Flanders" , "University city in French Flanders" .)