Residents of Guanabacoa reported the burning of garbage next to the Ángel Machaco Ameijeiras teaching polyclinic, a practice that is becoming increasingly common amid the waste collection crisis affecting numerous neighborhoods in Havana.
In a video shared on Facebook, the user Yerry Sanabia Padrón showed how waste burns near the health center, as columns of smoke rise in the area.
The situation reflects a scene that is becoming increasingly common in various neighborhoods of the capital, where the accumulation of trash has turned into a daily problem.
The reactions of citizens in the comments reflect a mix of alarm, resignation, and controversy.
Some users warned about the harmful effects of smoke. "Plastics and other substances are super toxic and dangerous to health when burned," wrote Roberto Soto.
Others directly warned about the respiratory consequences: “These are infection hotspots for any lung,” commented Luna Pérez and Hernández, while Maite Echemendia Arbelo expressed fear: “They are going to kill us, that is toxic.”
However, there were also those who defended the burning as an improvised solution to the accumulation of waste.
Gisela Pacheco Espinosa stated that "this way it is more hygienic and it prevents the spread of diseases," while another user pointed out that "one way or another, we need to get rid of that trash."
Other neighbors pointed to a possible institutional orientation, asserting that the practice could be a response to the lack of fuel for the collection trucks.
The controversy arises amid a structural crisis in waste collection in the Cuban capital.
The fuel shortage has halted numerous public services, including garbage collection, leading to the emergence of makeshift dump sites in streets and neighborhoods.
In response to the prolonged accumulation of waste, some residents resort to burning as the only immediate way to reduce the volume of garbage in front of their homes, despite the health and environmental risks involved.
Specialists and citizens have warned about the dangers of this practice. The comedian Ulises Toirac recently explained that urban waste contains plastics, synthetic textiles, batteries, and other waste that, when burned without proper technical controls, release dioxins, fine particles, and heavy metals capable of penetrating the lungs and causing severe health damage.
The situation also evokes the recurring fires at the landfill known as "El Bote", located in the area of 100 and Boyeros, which is considered the largest open-air dump in Havana.
There, the fires often create dense clouds of smoke that travel through different neighborhoods of the capital, exposing hundreds of thousands of people to harmful gases.
Reports of the accumulation and burning of garbage have multiplied in several areas of Havana, such as Lawton, Regla, Diez de Octubre, and San Miguel del Padrón, where residents have reported persistent smoke, foul odors, and an increase in rodents and insects.
Meanwhile, state institutions have called for "collective responsibility" to prevent the burning of waste, although many citizens believe that the underlying issue remains the inability to ensure a basic garbage collection service amid the crisis the country is facing.
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