The Cuban regime presented a batch of equipment from China intended for solid waste collection in Havana, during a tour led by Deputy Prime Minister Inés María Chapman at the logistics base of the Playa municipality.
According to the report from the state channel Canal Caribe, the lot includes 20 trucks and more than 240 Ampliroll-type containers with load capacities of five and 10 tons.
The trucks are equipped with air conditioning, mountain brakes, and an eight-speed gearbox.
The total cost of the investment exceeds one million euros and is 100% financed by the Cuban government, according to the state media.
The capital authorities openly acknowledged the limitations of the measure: "This will resolve part of the critically urgent problem we have today, but it is not the definitive solution."
The assembly of the boxes is handled by the national industry at its facilities in Guanabo, although the work is progressing slowly due to the energy contingency that is hindering a large part of production activity on the island.
A specialist explained that transporting disassembled structures allows for space optimization: "A container can hold 14 units when they are unassembled, but when they are assembled, only three units fit in a container."
The plan involves setting up temporary collection points in municipalities where the population and institutions can deposit waste for pickup by trucks. Authorities also announced meetings by districts and Popular Councils to explain the procedures to the public.
The initiative comes in the context of chronic collapse in garbage collection in Havana: in February of this year, only 44 out of 106 collection trucks were operational—just 41% of the fleet—due to a lack of diesel and mechanical failures. The capital generates between 24,000 and 30,000 cubic meters of waste per day, but the system left up to 23,814 cubic meters per day uncollected. The shortage of containers is structural: the city needs between 20,000 and 30,000, but only has about 10,000, many of which are in poor condition.
This is not the first time China has intervened in this issue. Last August, the Chavista regime — I mean, the government in Beijing — provided electric tricycles for garbage collection in the capital, although a pilot project using these vehicles in the Rampa People's Council failed due to the inability to charge them because of a lack of electricity.
Citizen skepticism regarding the new announcement was immediate on social media. "We'll see how long it takes for the truck to collect the garbage due to a lack of fuel," wrote Yendri Rodríguez in the comments on the official video. Carlos Borges was more straightforward: "In my opinion, as long as it remains with communal services, the same disorder will continue. Selling fuel, using it for purposes other than intended... Handing it over to a private individual would be beneficial."
Felix Batista Ferrales agreed: "Handing it over to a private company to ensure longevity, not to state-run companies; we know what they do, they take them for personal use to go to the beach." Gerardo Pavón captured the sentiment with a single question: "One per municipality? Hahaha."
The most recent precedent reinforces those doubts: in 2019, Japan donated 100 garbage trucks to Havana, but the fleet quickly deteriorated due to a lack of maintenance, spare parts, and fuel, repeating the pattern of receiving equipment without ensuring its operational sustainability.
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