The Consejo Popular Rampa, in the Plaza de la Revolución municipality of Havana, launched this Sunday the pilot test of "El Rampeño," a local development project that utilizes electric tricycles for door-to-door solid waste collection, with differentiated rates: 100 pesos per month per household and starting at 15,000 pesos for private businesses, MiPymes, and state entities.
The initiative comes after years of citizen complaints about the collapse of waste collection, a problem that is not limited to the Rampa popular council but rather encompasses all of Havana: in February 2026, only 44 of the 106 garbage trucks in the capital were operational, leaving up to 23,814 cubic meters of waste uncollected each day in a city that generates between 24,000 and 30,000 cubic meters daily.
Pedro Lizardo, president of the Rampa Popular Council, explained that the service operates on two fixed shifts: "Two departures, one at 7 in the morning and another at 8 in the evening. What we have requested is punctuality in disposing of your waste."
According to Lizardo, the results of the first day were encouraging: "A complete district in 40 minutes, the tricycle collects the waste. It has been an exercise that has allowed us to make some adjustments, but it has essentially worked very well."
Regarding the rates, the official specified that "differentiated rates will be applied, including for the population, which will be charged 100 pesos per month per household," with exemptions for individuals in situations of economic vulnerability.
For the non-residential sector, project worker Lilian Pérez detailed that "the payment ranges from 15,000 pesos per month, going up from there, never down," covering MiPymes, private businesses, and state companies.
In this initial phase, five drivers and five assistants are operating, although the project plans to have up to 30 electric tricycles in total and will create new direct jobs.
The energy infrastructure of the project relies on a "solinera" —a solar charging station with photovoltaic panels— located at the intersection of 23rd and J streets in Vedado, which autonomously recharges the tricycles without depending on the National Electroenergetic System.
The garbage crisis in Havana has direct health consequences: Cuba ended 2025 with more than 81,000 official cases of dengue and chikungunya, and by June 2026, there were more than 2,800 active cases in 134 municipalities across the country.
The regime's responses have been insufficient. The "Cleaning Operation" in October and November 2025 collected 396,157 cubic meters in 20 days, but the garbage accumulated again within weeks.
The Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz admitted in December 2025 the institutional failure to resolve the issue. In light of the inaction, residents of the Casino Deportivo neighborhood organized their own collection in May 2026, while others chose to burn the accumulated waste.
The locals of Havana received the project with caution. Sarah, a resident of La Rampa, summarized the general sentiment: "What matters is that it works, that it lasts, which would be fantastic, because honestly, the streets are terrible. Because we start here and then three days later..."
If the pilot test is successful, "El Rampeño" is expected to be replicated in the other four waste collection areas of Havana.
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