An enormous landfill has gone uncollected for 102 days in the middle of a residential area in Santa Clara, according to a citizen complaint circulated on social media that shows mounds of garbage just yards away from apartment buildings.
The images published on Instagram and Facebook show a vast accumulation of bags, plastics, debris, and other waste, among which vegetation has even begun to grow.
"Garbage dump in Santa Clara. In the middle of an apartment complex. 102 days without cleaning. The trash and the foul smell have already made it impossible to pass through there," the complaint states.
Residents in the area confirmed in the comments that the accumulation of waste has reached a point where it hampers normal transit.
"My route to work is the same, but it's now impossible to pass through there," said a resident. Another one confirmed that he had to detour a block to avoid the dump.
The testimonies also indicate that the problem is not limited to that point in Santa Clara.
"On every two corners in Santa Clara, there is a garbage bin that takes up half the street," reported one user. Another pointed out the presence of a dump site at the corner of Colón and Estrada Palma, across from a children's center.
From the municipality of Camajuaní, another resident described a similar scene: "In Camajuaní, it's just the same. That dirtiness is consistent all across Cuba."
Among the comments, there are criticisms regarding the lack of fuel for waste collection and, above all, about the management of the authorities.
"If the state has fuel to sell in dollars, then it should have enough to ensure waste collection in the province, which is essential for hygiene and health for everyone. And that is not the fault of the embargo; it is the result of poor government management," questioned an internet user.
The prolonged accumulation has also led some individuals to burn waste, a practice that produces smoke and adds another problem for those living in nearby buildings.
"Every time they set the fire, it drowns everything on the 31st [...] I believe that without that fire, it would now be a mountain twice its size," commented a neighbor.
Concerns about health consequences are also being expressed among residents, particularly due to the presence of garbage for over three months in a province affected by mosquito-borne diseases.
"I can't believe it, a province that has lost so many young lives, leaving children orphaned due to dengue," lamented a user.
The size of the dump is such that one of the neighbors estimated that heavy machinery and several vehicles would be needed to remove it.
"Given the volume of accumulated waste, I estimate it should be picked up with a front loader and about 10 dump trucks," he stated.
As the trash continues to accumulate between the buildings, another comment captured the residents' frustration over the deterioration of sanitary conditions in the city: "Nobody cares about anything; then come the diseases and all sorts of problems, and in the end, they blame the cow."
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