Trash blocks the entrance to a home in Matanzas, forcing neighbors to clear the debris

A resident of Matanzas reported that the accumulated garbage in front of her home prevented her from leaving to go to work, highlighting the further decline of waste collection services in the city.

In a video published on Thursday on Facebook, the citizen Ana Julia Rodríguez showed how waste had almost completely covered the entrance to her home. In the images, neighbors can be seen having to move the garbage in front of a staircase in order to enter and exit their residences.

In response to the suggestion to burn the waste, the complainant rejected that option due to the consequences of the smoke. "It's worse because the smoke suffocates us for days since everything is wet; it has been raining," she wrote.

The publication also included complaints from other residents affected by similar situations. "I have the same issue when trying to get in and out with the car. And no one cares," commented one neighbor, while another person ironically summed up the scene by saying, "Delightful with the rats and mosquitoes."

The episode adds to a garbage collection crisis that Matanzas has been facing for months, which has worsened in recent weeks, despite repeated citizen complaints and public acknowledgment of the difficulties by the authorities.

The Municipal Company of Communal Services , while receiving between 300 and 550 liters of diesel per day, compared to the more than 2,700 liters necessary to cover all its routes. In addition to the lack of fuel, there is a staff deficit exceeding 39%. Of the approximately 1,525 available positions, only around 930 are filled.

At that moment, the municipal mayor, Michel León Rodríguez, acknowledged before the cameras of the telecentre TV Yumurí that the authorities had a debt to the city. "We have a debt to the city," he admitted at that time.

Improvised dumps have blocked streets and corners in various parts of Matanzas. In April, the accumulation of waste obstructed the intersection of Levante and Solís, where residents had gone nearly a month without regular trash collection.

In August, the rains washed debris into the San Juan and Yumurí rivers and the bay of Matanzas. At the beginning of October, news emerged about another dump that spanned over 100 continuous meters of Mujica Street in the urban center.

The deterioration of sanitation has also raised concerns about its health consequences. Residents have reported the presence of bedbugs, rodents, flies, and cockroaches inside their homes.

Additionally, outbreaks of hepatitis A and dengue have been reported linked to the deteriorating sanitation, while over 300,000 residents of Matanzas face challenges in accessing drinking water consistently.

In May, the official newspaper Girón warned about the seriousness of the situation and cautioned that "what is at stake is no longer just the image of Matanzas, but the health and future of its residents."