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Infobae: only 44 of Havana's 106 garbage trucks were in service at the start of 2026
Mechanical breakdowns and a lack of diesel put most of the fleet out of service in a city that generates between 24,000 and 30,000 cubic metres of rubbish a day, according to Infobae.
At the start of 2026, only 44 of the 106 refuse trucks available in Havana were in service: mechanical breakdowns and a lack of diesel cut the city's capacity to respond in a city that produces between 24,000 and 30,000 cubic metres of rubbish a day, according to Infobae.
With that limited capacity, up to 23,814 cubic metres of waste could go uncollected in a single day, a gap that encourages micro-dumps on corners, vacant lots, avenues and areas near public buildings.
The Altahabana district, in the municipality of Boyeros, is one of the places where residents reported streets covered in bags, plastics, tyres and construction debris. Near the William Soler University Paediatric Hospital, the waste came to occupy part of the roadway and a drainage channel, according to images circulated by residents. The same is happening in parts of Centro Habana, Luyanó, San Miguel del Padrón and Old Havana.
In February the authorities announced a 49-measure plan to tackle the problem, but residents' complaints about mounds of rubbish continued in the following months in various municipalities of the capital.
Open dumps raise health risks: water trapped among containers, plastics and rubble can become a breeding ground for mosquitoes, including those that transmit dengue, and there are complaints about rodents, whose spread is linked to diseases such as leptospirosis and to food contamination.
Sources: Infobae
Data updated: 2026-11-09T04:15:00.000Z