From our Bureau of Socialist Waste Management with some assistance from our Bureau of Socialist Social Justice
Click HERE to see a video circulating on social media this Saturday highlights the severe waste collection crisis in Havana, where busy intersections have been overtaken by piles of solid waste. Meanwhile, in Santiago de Cuba, a starving elderly man was caught ransacking a trash pile and eating some of the food he had pulled out from it. See photo below and go HERE to watch video embedded in Cubanos Por El Mundo post.
Loosely translated from CiberCuba:
The footage, shared on Instagram by user Juan Juan Almeida, shows the corner of Lealtad and San Lázaro in Central Havana, transformed into a massive dumping ground.
Juan Juan’s followers commented that “the whole of Cuba is like this” and questioned the government’s intentions to “promote tourism on the island” amidst such trash-filled streets. “I’d like to know what tourist would want to come here if Cuba is a total disaster,” said one user.
The Cuban government has acknowledged difficulties in managing waste on the island.
Recently, they announced a search for support from foreign investors to resolve the solid waste management crisis in the country, especially in Havana, where the growing amount of trash is endangering the health of thousands of people.
Foreign investors have presented their proposals to address the waste problem within Havana’s Comprehensive Waste Management System. The regime claims there are more than ten foreign investment projects focused on this issue.
A Japanese company proposed the construction of a waste management plant where unclassified waste would be sorted, recyclables recovered, and electrical energy generated. The foreign company would be responsible for the entire logistical chain.
Meanwhile, no projects have materialized, and Cubans continue to suffer from the waste problem, particularly in Havana.
Well, if this is not a third-world shithole…but then of course it is.
What strikes me is that Havana was named one of the most alluring cities in the world, has won international prizes, is constantly praised, especially in Fodors. Lonely Planet, Time out and other crappy books for tourists and is always on the list of worldwide top tourist attractions. The amount of complicity is mind-blowing!
What I don’t understand is how is that government so inept? Seriously, Cuba was given over hundred garbage trucks by Japan for Havana and not one of them was ever seen around the city. I heard that they broke down, but I suspect the regime resold them. With all of the money Cuba gets from international donors, they could easily ask Canada or Spain or Mexico [who loves regime so much] to build a garbage processing plant. I just don’t understand why they don’t. It’s bizarre.
It’s all about priorities. They’re NOT interested in serving the needs of ordinary Cubans.
Yes, of course, they are not interested in the average Cuban. To them Cubans are trash just like that trash that accumulates in the streets, but you would think that since tourism has become the number one industry in Cuba, they would be interested in maintaining a clean city for the sake of the tourists on who’s money they rely. It doesn’t take more than two brain cells to realize that tourists are turned off by filth and that they are less likely to return if they have to navigate through piles of smelly garbage to get to their hotel.