Solid waste continues to accumulate in the streets and corners of Havana. The reasons for this growing phenomenon are many and no improvement is expected in the short term. Influencing factors include: staff shortages, shortages of spare parts for specialized equipment, and limited availability of fuel. The topic was mentioned by A Reportage Cuban television, where the deterioration of the equipment needed to collect solid waste was acknowledged. “It’s actually the main weakness of our company,” said one community services executive in the island’s capital.

Its director, Onelo de Jesus Ojeda, confirmed that more than 200 teams are currently completely paralyzed. These include 63 assembly trucks and 174 dump trucks.

Spare parts without spare parts

The few spare parts the company had were already used and there was now no way to replace them. The most serious situation concerns the shortage of vehicle tires and batteries. This phenomenon directly affects new donation trucks and old trucks coming from Russia.

Odalis Acosta, Director of the Regional Community Hygiene Company, commented on the current crisis that Havana is experiencing in this regard. “We do not have the parts we need for ZIL trucks, nor for Kamaz trucks.”

Meanwhile, de Jesús Ojeda said, “The instability of the workforce has forced us to work with a large group of prisoners and people subject to sanctions. This constitutes an important strength in us, based on the current instability and the staff capacity of 68%.”

Official data reflect that on average, only 68% of the waste generated by residents and economic actors in Havana is collected daily. Between 4,000 and 5,000 cubic meters of garbage are left uncollected every day in the capital.