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The government of the municipality of Old Havana plans to implement a system starting Monday, November 17, which requires residents and private businesses to take their trash directly to the truck instead of leaving it on the street, a decision that has raised complaints, questions, and sarcasm among residents.
The announcement, posted on the Facebook page of the Municipal Administration Council, states that the population and economic actors must place their solid waste outside only when the truck passes, at a scheduled time starting from 7:00 p.m.
The measure will be applied in specific sections of the popular councils Prado, Plaza Vieja, Belén, San Isidro, Jesús María, and Tallapiedra.
The official message presents it as an initiative "for my clean Havana" in celebration of the city's 506th anniversary.
However, the public reaction was immediate and characterized by criticism.
Yosmany Ogbe Tuá responded to an optimistic comment questioning the logic of the decision: "Collecting garbage door to door is a duty of the government. We shouldn't have to take it ourselves. What a lack of everything."
Other neighbors mocked the proposal. “Can we change the name to ‘my trash and I walk’?” Jenny Mosquera ironized.
"Spoiler alert: it's not going to work either," added Carlos Alb Prieto, while Yuniet Fernández Blanco asked if they would need to "ask for the last one to take out the trash or schedule an appointment for an APK."
But there were also deeper questions: “How will the elderly manage without family support? Or those who live on the third floor?” Ismara Rodríguez questioned, highlighting an issue that the official announcement completely ignores.
Some users recalled unsuccessful experiences. Anita Iglesias mentioned a similar attempt in Key West, where the truck stopped coming after just a few days: “There is no consistency or organization here, and people are becoming increasingly undisciplined and apathetic.”
The discrediting of the new "experience" was summed up in a comment: "You all need to take folic acid to see if you can come up with a logical idea."
Havana faces a severe waste management crisis, with mountains of garbage piling up in the streets, creating unsanitary conditions and public health risks.
The authorities have attempted to implement cleanup operations, but the lack of resources and the ineffectiveness of the measures taken have hindered a sustainable solution.
Soldiers, officers, and civilian workers of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) have been leading the so-called "Cleaning Operation", a campaign aimed at improving the sanitary conditions of the capital.
The military deployment coincides with the launch of the “Operation Campana,” a pilot plan for nighttime garbage collection in areas with underground electric service, the Municipal Assembly of the People's Power of Centro Habana specified in a post on Facebook.
A few days ago, an article from the official newspaper Granma stated that the Cuban capital is progressing towards a model of smart and sustainable city through the integration of digital tools, efficient resource management, and citizen participation, with technology serving the people.
However, the publication sparked a wave of questioning, highlighting the contrast between the official fantasy and the harsh reality faced by the people of Havana, who live in a city where the government is unable to collect garbage, ensure minimally efficient transportation, or provide basic medications like paracetamol.
The recent call announced by the official portal Cubadebate on Facebook to celebrate the 506th anniversary of Havana on November 16 has sparked a flood of critical and sarcastic comments from Cubans who denounced the decay, trash, and collapses that characterize everyday life in the capital.
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