Bureau of Socialist Blame-Shifting with some assistance from our Bureau of Socialist Approaches to Urban Hygiene and Pestilence Control
If you can’t blame the embargo for your failures — so goes one of Castro, Inc.’s favorite refrains– then blame the Cuban people. Yes. Of course. The REAL reason garbage goes uncollected in Havana is that Habaneros are too undisciplined and lazy to throw out their trash at the time set by Castro, Inc., between 6 and 10 pm.
Got that? This problem has not been caused by poor planning, or a lack of garbage trucks, gasoline, and money. No. It’s all the fault of those ungrateful, shiftless residents of Havana.
Yes, those Habaneros are lazy slobs, even those who work in hospitals. You don’t believe this? Take a look at the trash heap they have irresponsibly created at Havana’s Frank Pais Hospital. It’s a hospital, for heaven’s sakes.
And Habaneros aren’t the only Cubans responsible for this crisis. Garbage piles keep growing throughout the entire island. See where lack of Revolutionary spirit can lead you? They should all be ashamed of themselves.
Loosely translated from ADN Cuba
Cuban communal authorities in Havana have confirmed the severe crisis in garbage collection in the capital. This situation is attributed to several factors, including a deficit of trucks due to mechanical issues and a shortage of fuel.
According to the propaganda outlet Granma, the accumulation of garbage in the island’s most populous city has averaged 30,108 cubic meters daily in recent months, surpassing last year’s figures.
“The garbage is unbearable; the stench makes living here impossible. Flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches, and rats are practically part of the family. If you don’t get rid of the waste, it stays there,” complained a resident of Centro Habana, one of the most affected municipalities.
Onelio de Jesús Ojeda López, the provincial director of Communal Services, blamed citizens for not adhering to designated garbage disposal times, which are between 6:00 PM and 10:00 PM.
“Cooperation is necessary; everyone needs to dispose of their garbage properly. Sometimes, even state stores dump waste on the streets. Businesses must keep their surroundings clean,” he stated.
A private vendor commented, “What my customers throw outside the premises and the overflow of containers is not my concern, but Communales’.”
However, he acknowledged that the active fleet for garbage collection in the capital is currently affected by almost 50% because they lack parts for the Japanese trucks that were donated.
According to Ojeda, since 2023, Hino brand trucks, manufactured in Japan, began experiencing breakdowns in parts and components, with no solution in sight.
The supplier company withdrew from the island, making it impossible to buy the necessary supplies for repairs directly or indirectly.
The severe garbage collection situation has also led to the proliferation of diseases linked to vectors and rodents.
Belkis Aracelis Barrera, an epidemiologist at the Julito Díaz National Rehabilitation Hospital, noted an increase this summer in illnesses such as vomiting and diarrhea caused by flies; leptospirosis, associated with rats; and dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and Oropouche, all viruses transmitted by mosquitoes.