Trashing Cuba

Cuba, you have a trash problem.  Yes, I know – you’re not alone.  Much of the world has a trash problem.  From my experience, it’s a typical and regrettable problem in many developing countries.  Why?  First of all, countries like Cuba don’t have an adequate infrastructure for collecting trash and disposing it in a sanitary manner.  Furthermore, people haven’t been taught an ethic of keeping public spaces clean.  There is no monetary incentive for them to recycle their beverage containers or enforceable laws mandating that they throw waste paper in a trash can.  And finally, if you’re poor, you have other priorities like figuring out where you next meal is coming from.

To be fair, it’s not just developing countries that have a trash problem.  When I was a kid, roadsides in the U.S. were full of trash.  They probably would still be were it not for adopt-a-highway programs that bring civic-minded people out to clean up a stretch of road and take pride in the results of their group effort.  Environmental education in schools has certainly also helped.  We currently find it easier to get rid of our trash than we did 50+ years ago.  Most parks, highway rest areas, and city downtown areas have trash cans which are regularly emptied.  Many cities like Denver provide residents with recycling bins.  And yet, it amazes me how many people in Denver don’t use them.  Walk along a street on trash collection day and see how many recyclable items have put with the trash by people who can’t be bothered with separating their waste. 

But having offered excuses for Cuba’s trash, I still found it offensive.  Cuba has a beautiful landscape that can attract tourists and provide a pleasant environment for its residents.  The government could certainly do more such as requiring deposits on all beverage containers and getting rid of plastic bag use for store purchases.  When I was in Zimbabwe 36 years ago, I was amazed how clean the streets and highways were.  Deposits were required on many types of containers.  It wasn’t so much out of concern for the environment but a solution to scarcity of aluminum and tin for the manufacture of containers.  If you threw a Coke bottle out on the along a highway in Zimbabwe, you could bet that someone would pick it up to collect the several cents deposit. 

Maybe if Cuba wasn’t in such dire economic straits, it could invest in more trash bins and hire workers to haul off the trash.  But haul it where?  Sanitary landfills with impermeable liners to prevent groundwater pollution aren’t cheap to construct.  

I would hope that schools in Cuba are teaching children about respect for the environment.  And this respect should include avoidance of throwing trash in public spaces and trying to minimize use of containers that are difficult to recycle like plastics.

I also deeply resent the industries that produce plastic containers and the companies that make billions in profit from the sale of beverages and other products in these containers.  Were they good corporate citizens, they would be actively involved in eliminating plastic waste.  Do mega-corporations like Coca-Cola care?  Maybe so, but their lack of action doesn’t show it.  

© Will Mahoney 2022

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