A massive pile of garbage accumulating on the sidewalk in the center of Camagüey became a symbol this week of the collapse of municipal services in Cuba, after an image shared on Facebook sparked thousands of reactions among Cubans both inside and outside the island.
The video was published by journalist José L. Tan Estrada under the hashtag #TanteandoCuba, with a question that summarizes the normalization of the issue: “Enormous garbage dump in front of a store in Camagüey. What street is it?”
The environment worsens the scene: pavement in terrible condition, overhead electrical wires, and colonial-style buildings with dilapidated balconies.
The author did not accurately identify the street where the scene takes place and turned to his followers to recognize it, which reflects how widespread this reality is in the city.
Camagüey is one of the largest cities in the country. The solid waste collection has been in crisis for years: the shortage of fuel has partially paralyzed the fleet of collection trucks in multiple municipalities, and the communal equipment is deteriorating without the regime allocating resources for its maintenance.
Citizen reports through social media —particularly Facebook— have become the primary channel for highlighting these situations.
The accumulation of garbage in the streets is neither an isolated nor a recent phenomenon. It is a direct consequence of decades of underinvestment in infrastructure and basic services under a system that prioritizes political control over the well-being of the population.
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