A video posted on Facebook shows Neptuno Street in Central Havana nearly blocked by a massive accumulation of garbage and debris that occupies almost the entire roadway, highlighting the collapse of public services in the Cuban capital.
In the just over one-minute clip, the author, identified as DisA, walks down the street while describing what he sees: "This is Neptuno street, look, since there's no gasoline, the street is blocked, look, the street is almost right here. This is Neptuno, yes, Neptuno, brother, almost the entire street is right here, look at the thickness of the trash."
The recording leaves no room for doubt: household waste and debris mix in a layer that covers most of the asphalt. "And here you have everything—debris, garbage, all lovely. Everything, everything, everything, all lovely," the author concludes with bitter irony.
The situation is not new. In April, the activist Silverio Portal had already reported a massive accumulation at the intersection of Neptuno and San Nicolás, behind the La Época store, where the waste left less than two meters to completely close off the block.
The root of the problem is structural. In February, only 44 out of 106 garbage trucks in Havana were operational due to a lack of fuel and the deterioration of the vehicle fleet, while the city generates between 24,000 and 30,000 cubic meters of solid waste per day.
The capital has only 10,000 containers when it would need between 20,000 and 30,000. In light of the State's inaction, residents of Casino Deportivo organized their own community waste collection, and in multiple municipalities, the practice of burning accumulated waste has spread.
The health consequences are severe. The New York Times linked the accumulation of garbage in May to outbreaks of dengue and chikungunya: Cuba reported at least 81,900 cases of mosquito-borne diseases and 65 official deaths in 2025. In 2026, the outbreak remained active with more than 2,800 cases in 134 municipalities across the 14 provinces. The Ministry of Public Health acknowledged 33 deaths during the recent wave: 12 from dengue and 21 from chikungunya.
The comments on the video capture the collective sentiment of those who remember another Neptuno. "It's something that cannot be fixed; many years ago, one could stroll down this street, the shops, the cafés, the bars, everything had a different presence," wrote César Barbán.
Other users were more direct. "It's a garbage island! As they say... unbelievable!" posted Ricardo Calvo Ferrera. "Neptuno and Campanario, everything has been lost in Havana. Cuba is dying," lamented Ana Maria Arriete Alvarez.
The phrase that best captures popular outrage was expressed by Teresa Machado: "What savagery, and they ask for resistance."
This Tuesday, a mountain of trash was also blocking an intersection in Centro Habana, and days earlier, a dumping ground was reported in Nuevo Vedado with five overflowing bins, a sign that the health crisis in the capital shows no signs of resolution as long as the regime remains without fuel, without trucks, and without the political will to address it.
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