Trash piles up in Havana as US oil chokehold halts garbage trucks


A man sits next to trash on a street in downtown Havana, Cuba, February 16, 2026. REUTERS/Norlys Perez

HAVANA, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Garbage has begun ⁠to pile up on street corners in the Cuban capital of Havana, attracting hordes of ⁠flies and reeking of rotten food, in one of the most visible impacts of the ‌U.S. bid to prevent oil from reaching the Caribbean's largest island.

State-run news outlet Cubadebate reported this month that only 44 of Havana's 106 rubbish trucks were able to keep operating due to fuel shortages, slowing garbage collection.

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