A video lasting only 25 seconds that went viral on social media this Friday is the latest evidence of the urban and sanitary decline in the Cuban capital, showing a massive mountain of garbage piled up in the heart of the city while posing a question filled with irony: "Which part of Havana did they clean?"
The material was shared on Facebook by content creator Juan Juan Almeida and quickly became a barometer of citizens' frustration with the regime and the situation on the island.
Several comments from followers identified the location as the garbage dump on Virtudes Street between Consulado and Industria, in Central Havana, across from the old Musical Theater of Havana.
"That dumpster is historic. Virtues between Consulate and Industry," wrote the user Ele Fumero.
Zulema González confirmed that the situation remained unchanged at the time of the publication. "That dumping ground is at the old Musical Theater of Havana. I passed by yesterday, and it looks just like in the video," she corroborated.
This is neither a new nor an unfamiliar garbage dump. The same spot went viral in August 2025 thanks to the photographer Otmaro Rodríguez, who described it as one of the most striking in the capital. Nine months later, nothing has changed.
Cubans who commented on Almeida's video left no room for ambiguity. "Cuba has already hit rock bottom," wrote Erick Reynaldo.
Armando Pelaez Santiesteban was more ironic: "This is the Prosperous and Sustainable Continuity," while Johnny Klelian Muñoz summed it up bluntly: "These are the achievements or victories of the 'dictatorship' over 67 years. A picture is worth a thousand words."
The crisis has figures that explain the situation. Havana generates between 24,000 and 30,000 cubic meters of solid waste daily, but only 44 out of 106 collection trucks are operational due to a lack of diesel, leaving up to 23,814 cubic meters uncollected each day.
The city has only 10,000 containers when it needs between 20,000 and 30,000.
The regime itself has acknowledged its inability to tackle the problem of solid waste collection. In September 2025, the Minister of Science, Technology, and Environment, Armando Rodríguez Batista, admitted that "that trash is not contained, it is scattered all over Havana".
In December, following a meeting led by President Miguel Díaz-Canel, the government acknowledged that it cannot clean the capital nor pay street sweepers fairly, while it was revealed that out of 126 planned garbage bins, only 31 were manufactured, and of the promised 1,000 carts, only 40 were completed.
The video shared by Almeida is part of a week of viral chain complaints. Days earlier, comedian Rigoberto Ferrera showed the burning of garbage in La Pera Park, in the municipality of Plaza de la Revolución, at six in the evening.
Moreover, an Italian tourist described Cuba as "the dirtiest country" she has ever visited, sparking an international debate.
On the other hand, the photographer Alina Sardiñas published a shocking account of the deterioration of Cuban streets, describing that "I walk through the streets feeling a mix of terror and awe."
Despite a government plan with 49 measures announced in February, which promised to import 15,000 containers and deploy 450 brigades, including military units, garbage continues to pile up in the usual corners.
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