On Fumigation and Garbage in Havana
Photo feature by Luis Miguel del Bahia
HAVANA TIMES — We have to acknowledge the efforts the State is making with its fumigation and public health campaigns. These huge sums of money, however, will continue to be flushed down the toilet until garbage collection units begin to do their job.
The fumigation campaign is highly rigorous, involving military officers that inspire respect, the threat of fines and other measures that are understandable in an extreme situation like the one we’re facing.
But what of the republic? Public health begins there, at street level. The most serious aspect of this is that the situation aims at the circumstantial and the problem has become systemic. Garbage collection units are no doubt to blame, but the problem goes deeper than that.
What we are seeing is the legitimation of bad practices. One catches sight of this in the opinions people express. The common denominator are pretexts that seek to transform the bad into the legitimate. Put differently: the problem is cultural.
When a problem becomes cultural, it becomes rooted in the very essence of society and no one can pull it out.
Paraphrasing Heidegger, “only a god can save us now.”
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Will someone please post pictures of the dump where all this trash is supposed to be dumped? I like to see what type of equipment is being used at the dump and the actual process.
I’d also like to see pictures of the dump trucks and crews that go around the city picking up this trash.
Has the government or anyone else ever done a proper study as to what it would take to completely modernize this process? thanks
Come on people show some respect for your own environment.
A reason to not visit Cuba.
The problem is getting worse every week. Clean streets make it hard for people to leave their trash out in the open. But even a small pile of trash outside of the dumpster quickly turns into a big pile. Big piles of trash, sometimes blocking the sidewalk, are a common sight in central Havana near my Casa particular. They stink, promote vermin, and clearly affect public health. Viva la revolución!