A photograph shared this Friday in the Facebook group Compra y venta Artemisa showed a street in the city completely buried beneath huge mounds of waste, debris, and household refuse stretching for dozens of meters in front of homes, along with two overflowing compacting containers.
According to the person filing the complaint, the authorities conducted a cleanup that, instead of solving the problem, left the public road blocked with two "overfull" containers, while the street has remained "completely impassable" and has been emitting foul odors for a week.
Neighbors identified the scene at the corner of the Colón market, one of the busiest areas in the city. "I actually passed by there today, and it's true. Such a busy corner. The corner of the Colón market," wrote a resident in the comments of the post, which garnered dozens of outraged responses.
The citizens' anger targeted not only the neglect but also the corruption that sustains it.
"The surplus oil is for meetings and offices; there isn't enough for the community. There's trash from Artemisa shining in the flag," a resident reported.
Another comment elaborated more on the issue: "The problem is that the little oil available is held by the leaders [...] what’s sad is that in the same place it is sold to the working people for 2.70 USD per card, and to mock them, they say you can buy as many as you want."
The Cuban Institute for Freedom of Expression and the Press (ICLEP) documented in August 2025 that the garbage collection trucks in Artemisa were halted due to a lack of parts and fuel shortages.
This is not the first time Artemisa has appeared on the shame map. In June, a massive garbage dump overflowed next to the 8-story building in the city, with household waste, debris, bags, and cardboard piled up uncontrollably.
At the beginning of the year, residents of Bauta reported a large dump set up next to the very office of the People's Power, just meters away from cafes and the farmers' market.
The crisis has deep-rooted origins, as since 2019, the Municipal Services Company of Artemisa acknowledged that there was no suitable landfill for the area and that the trucks were constantly malfunctioning.
In 2023, the fuel shortage reduced collection to main arteries, hospitals, and schools, which turned several towns in the province into dumping grounds.
The collapse is not limited to waste. More than 225,000 people, equivalent to 65% of the provincial population, lacked a regular water supply in July, whilepower outages of up to 22 hours a day sparked protests in Toledo that ended in clashes with a police patrol.
The accumulation of waste has direct health consequences. "That's why there are so many viruses and bacteria, and people are getting sick; clearly, all the conditions have been created," warned a neighbor.
"Someone said that it wouldn't be the external enemy that would bring this down. It would be the Inept Friend from within, and that is coming true," summarized a citizen in the comments, with a phrase that encapsulates the feelings of those living among the trash that the regime fails to collect.
The problem is not exclusive to Artemisa. This Thursday, images showed a intersection in the Havana neighborhood of Los Sitios trapped in garbage and neglect, while this week, a garbage dump in the heart of Camagüey was reported, confirming that the collapse of public services is a national pattern.
Related videos:
Filed under: