Cuban comedian Ulises Toirac brought attention once again to the severe garbage crisis plaguing Havana. In a five-second video shared on Facebook, Toirac used irony and casual language to highlight the failure of the waste collection system in Cuba's capital city.
"An overflowing trash bin on every block / an infection in every neighborhood / Block by block / neighborhood by town / filthy mess, the disaster," Toirac wrote alongside video footage showing municipal blue containers overflowing, with trash spilling onto a tree-lined street in Havana.
The post resonated widely, amassing over 10,000 views, 705 reactions, and around a hundred comments, indicating how deeply this issue touches the Cuban populace.
Toirac's critiques are not new. Earlier this year in February, he warned about the dangers of burning garbage in public areas, sharing an image of a "mountain of garbage" in Playa municipality. He remarked, "If it looks like this in this proletarian aristocratic neighborhood... I don't want to see the rest."
In May, he criticized the government for prioritizing rallies and propaganda over tackling the garbage problem and ongoing power outages. Just three days before his latest post, he described Cuba as a "maze with no solution," stating, "it's not the light at the end of the tunnel... there is no tunnel."
Structural Crisis Reaches Critical Levels
The comedian's critique highlights a systemic crisis that has reached dire levels by 2026. Reports from Infobae indicate that Havana produces between 24,000 and 30,000 cubic meters of waste daily, yet the collection system only manages to process 16,000 to 17,000, leaving up to 23,814 cubic meters uncollected each day.
The underlying issues are clear: as of February, only 44 of the 106 garbage trucks in the capital were operational, hindered by fuel shortages and mechanical failures from lack of maintenance.
The city's infrastructure is also lacking. Havana has only 10,000 containers, far short of the 20,000 to 30,000 needed to meet actual demand.
Public Health Concerns and Government Acknowledgment
With waste services overwhelmed, public burning of trash has become an impromptu solution, escalating health risks. An investigation by The New York Times en Español linked the waste accumulation to the spread of diseases like dengue, chikungunya, leptospirosis, and hepatitis A in the capital.
The severity of the problem even prompted Cuba's state media to acknowledge the issue back in February—a rare admission given the usual official silence on such failures. International media outlets, including Euronews and Infobae, have also covered the crisis between February and June this year.
Toirac, a highly respected figure in Cuba with more than 45 years in comedy, has used his social media platforms to consistently critique Miguel Díaz-Canel's government, addressing issues from power outages and repression to economic mismanagement, with a recurring focus on the garbage crisis suffocating Havana.
Understanding Havana's Waste Crisis
What is the current status of waste management in Havana?
Havana's waste management is severely underperforming, with the city producing more waste than the system can handle, leading to large amounts of garbage remaining uncollected daily.
How is the waste crisis affecting public health in Havana?
The accumulation of waste has been linked to the spread of diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, leptospirosis, and hepatitis A, increasing public health risks in the city.
How has the Cuban government responded to the waste crisis?
The Cuban government has been slow to acknowledge the crisis publicly, although recent months have seen some recognition in state media due to the severity of the situation.