A complaint on social media raised awareness about the accumulation of garbage on Neptuno Street in Centro Habana, where the waste, worms, and rodents have sparked outrage over the unsanitary conditions.
"Now the mice look like cats because of how big they are. If they keep this up, there won't be enough space in the cemetery to bury those of us who are going to die," wrote the user Odalis Sánchez on her Facebook page on Wednesday, along with images of a huge pile of waste that occupies practically the entire sidewalk and part of the roadway.
Among the waste, there are plastics, bags, cardboard, organic remains, cans, and bottles, set against dilapidated colonial buildings. The complainant also described a smell that was "too strong" and unbearable in her comments.
The post sparked numerous reactions from Cubans who claimed that the situation is not exclusive to Neptuno. "This is how all of Cuba is, and it's unclear how much longer we have to endure it," wrote one user. Another summarized the situation with a striking phrase: "We live in a garbage cube."
Other commentators noted that Monte Street, between Old Havana and Central Havana, was in worse condition and that the accumulation of waste is repeated "around every corner, in any neighborhood."
They also expressed concern about the health hazards associated with the proliferation of rodents. "Mice transmit deadly diseases, which are often difficult to control," warned a local resident.
Some users mocked the official narrative that blames the country's problems on the U.S. embargo, while others directly questioned the decline of the capital. "It's no longer just the capital. Now it's the Capital of Trash," wrote one of them. "Without hygiene, there is no health," summarized another commentator.
In June, a video showed a section of Neptuno practically blocked by trash and debris. In August, Trillo Park, also in Cayo Hueso, was overflowing with waste and worms.
Days before this new report, residents of Sitios Street warned about a rat infestation that was invading homes and threatening a nearby food production facility.
Behind these scenes is the inability of the authorities to ensure regular waste collection, due to a shortage of diesel and mechanical deterioration affecting the fleet of collection trucks.
Between 2018 and 2022, leptospirosis, a disease primarily transmitted by rodents, caused 105 confirmed deaths in Cuba, 26 of which were in Havana. In April, the Pan American Health Organization warned that the shortage of rodenticides and fuel limits rodent control in the country.
Cuba ended 2025 with at least 81,909 official cases of dengue and chikungunya and 65 deaths, amid an outbreak linked to the garbage accumulation crisis.
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