Playa Ancón, the main beach resort of Trinidad in the province of Sancti Spíritus, closed the summer season of 2026 covered in waste, as shown in a photo report by the official newspaper Escambray that documented the disastrous state of the bathing area in zones close to the Ancón hotel.
"The area that was once meticulously monitored for waste, cleanliness, and order is now a perfect sea of garbage that floods the entire bathing area," criticized the state media.
Escambray acknowledged a dual responsibility for the deterioration, the polycrisis the country is facing along with "the indiscipline and lack of care from both individuals and institutions that attend to the area," which it attributed to "their share of responsibility for how the beaches of Trinidad in Cuba appear today."
During the summer, La Boca beach in Camagüey was found covered in cans and debris, with trash even on the sea floor, while the beaches of Mayabeque were in a critical state with bathers surrounded by cans and waste.
The situation at Ancón Beach is striking because the peninsula has undergone environmental rehabilitation efforts in recent years. In 2023, restoration work was carried out on the natural landscape, including cleaning, pruning, and reforestation of approximately 64 hectares.
In 2024, the Flora and Fauna Company installed trash bins, signage, and perimeter fences to prevent vehicle access. Apparently, none of these interventions were successful in maintaining the outcome.
The degradation is part of a structural crisis in waste management that affects the entire island. Between November 2025 and February of this year, the Cuban government launched the so-called Operation Clean-Up with 49 measures, but the accumulation of waste has continued unabated.
In Sancti Spíritus, the pattern of neglect has multiple recent expressions. In June, the official press acknowledged that areas of the Yayabo River, a symbol of the city, were overwhelmed by garbage, without any response from the authorities to this situation.
Recently, a video shared on social media showcased the state of neglect in which the archaeological site San Isidro de los Destiladeros is found, located in the Trinidad Valley of the Sugar Mills - a UNESCO World Heritage Site - despite having been restored with funds from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
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