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A photograph published this Friday on Facebook shows a massiveMakeshift dump that occupies almost the entire intersection of Levante and Solís streets in the city of Matanzas, sparking a wave of outrage among local residents and Cuban internet users.
The image was posted by Jorge Cristobal Moreno in the group "Ciudad de Matanzas en Fotos" and accumulated dozens of comments, most filled with rage and despair over the authorities' inaction.
A resident from that same block described the situation bluntly: "...it’s disgusting and terrifying; there hasn’t been garbage collection in almost a month. It’s a place where rodents and flies reign supreme. No one is addressing the issue."
Other internet users pointed out that the problem is not limited to that corner. "I don't know what the surprise is if all of Matanzas is the same, to a greater or lesser extent, it's just the same thing," wrote one of the commentators, while another mentioned equally critical spots like Palmar de Junco and the Santa Rita Pharmacy.
The frequency of collection is another reason for complaint. "The truck comes once every two months; you can't eat the garbage, and burning it like they do around here is dangerous, you’re inhaling all the contaminated smoke," commented a resident.
Several internet users pointed directly to the regime as responsible. "That's the fault of the dictatorship imposed in Cuba. Diseases and epidemics are sweeping through the city: dengue, viral hepatitis, and there are no medicines. How long are they going to blame the blockade? Use the fuel that comes in to clean the cities, not for the police to continue repressing the people," wrote one of them.
Another commentator questioned the usefulness of the regime's structures: "That's what the neighborhood council, the CDR president, the delegate, the government, and all those institutions are for. What is their job? My conclusion: nobody cares about anything."
The outrage also took on an ironic tone: "The government should be ashamed; with a horse and a cart, that situation could be alleviated, but there are no brains, and then it’s all about the blockade."
The garbage collection crisis in Matanzas is part of a national collapse of the waste management system, worsened by extreme fuel shortages. In Havana, only 44 out of 106 collection trucks were operational in February 2026, and in several areas, waste had been accumulating for over ten days without collection.
In Santa Clara, the government opted for electric tricycles and horse-drawn carts as alternatives due to the lack of diesel, while for Havana, a foreign investment project of Portuguese origin for waste management was announced, with no specific measures mentioned for Matanzas.
The accumulation of garbage in the province has documented health consequences. During 2025, more than 70% of the population in municipalities such as Perico and Cárdenas was affected by arboviral diseases, including dengue, chikungunya, and zika.
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