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The journalist from Matanzas, Yirmara Torres Hernández, published a report on the proliferation of makeshift dumpsites in her neighborhood, in the heights of Matanzas, just meters from the Eliseo Noel Camaño Pediatric Hospital.
"A garbage dump has sprung up on my corner," wrote Torres, describing an extremely unsanitary situation at the corner of Salamanca and San Carlos, where the accumulation of waste has blocked vehicle passage.
"Above the dumpsite, you can see the bay. Matanzas offers these views from anywhere, that captivating blue... But in the foreground, there's the dumpsite," he remarked, highlighting the contrast between the city's natural beauty and the neglect that surrounds it.
What worries Torres and his neighbors the most is not just the sight: "The worst is the smell, along with the cockroaches, mice, and rats," highlighting the health risks in a densely populated residential area just steps away from a children's hospital.
The situation has already led to concrete consequences: the neighbor on that corner had a rooster stolen from his yard, and according to Torres, "the thieves didn't have to exert themselves. The pile of trash served as a ladder for them."
The journalist warns that the problem is not confined to her block. Trash piles also surround the Ramón Mathiew basic secondary school and encroach upon the Eliseo Noel Camaño Pediatric Hospital. Torres bitterly points out that her block, which was once free of garbage due to its proximity to the hospital, is no longer spared from the crisis: "Without electricity, without water, but with trash piles."
In light of the authorities' paralysis, Torres proposes concrete alternatives: "Is there no animal-drawn transportation? Can't they hire carts? Can electric tricycles not be used?". It's not an outlandish idea: Guantánamo has already turned to electric tricycles to address the garbage collection crisis, and Santa Clara has done the same with animal-drawn carts.
The journalist also raises a question that the regime avoids answering: "What if we transfer those services to private entities?" Her underlying question is even more urgent: "What are we waiting for to solve the waste problem? Are we waiting for all of us to get sick or die?"
Fear is not rhetorical. Matanzas faces a complex epidemiological scenario with active outbreaks of hepatitis A, dengue, and chikungunya. In April 2026, a provincial health alert for hepatitis A was issued in municipalities such as Matanzas, Cárdenas, and Versalles, diseases directly linked to unsanitary conditions.
More than 300,000 residents in the province lack a stable water supply, as acknowledged by First Deputy Prime Minister Inés María Chapman. The water crisis in Matanzas further exacerbates the health risks posed by the garbage accumulated in the streets.
The same pediatric hospital that Torres mentioned operated in October 2025 with all 75 beds completely occupied by arboviruses, and in February 2026 it was documented with deplorable sanitation conditions: bathrooms filled with trash, dirty floors, and deteriorating walls.
Former president of the Union of Journalists of Cuba in Matanzas for seven years, Torres resigned from her position in February 2023 and has since been documenting the crisis in the province on Facebook. Her neighbors trust that she can bring about change. "They believe that one has power... and they don't know that's not the case... The most we can do is report," she wrote.
"In Cuba, there have been tough times, but none have seen so much chaos, so much neglect... so much garbage," the reporter summarized.
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