MIAMI – Crowds come from around the world to see a slice of Cuban culture in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood. The historic community has been deemed a national treasure, and yet it is drowning in street litter.
“Little Havana has just become a dumping ground for people,” Executive Director of the Dade Heritage Trust Christine Rupp told Local 10 crews back when the Don’t Trash Our Treasure franchise launched in 2021.
The Don’t Trash Our Treasure team has since returned to the Little Havana neighborhood several times, to follow concerned residents who have gathered to try and tackle the problem head-on.
This past Saturday morning, Local 10 News anchor and environmental advocate Louis Aguirre joined volunteers from Debris Free Oceans and the non-profit Healthy Little Havana for a Cleanup Crawl sponsored by District 5 Miami-Dade County Commissioner Eileen Higgins. The massive effort spanned 12 city blocks, from Southwest Eighth Street to 12th Avenue, between Second and Fifth streets.
“There’s a lot of street litter and unfortunately this area has been neglected when it comes to street sweeping, and maintenance and having enough trash cans, and making sure those trash cans aren’t overflowing,” Program Director of Debris Free Oceans Maddie Kauffman observed.
“I can really feel the energy,” said Bethany Tober of Debris Free Oceans when discussing the volunteer effort. “I’m very excited that everyone’s here today to help us attempt to solve the plastic pollution crisis here in Little Havana right now.”
Healthy Little Havana Program Director Raissa Fernandez most recently joined Local 10 crews for the cleanup of this area in June.
“(It’s) shocking to think that a neighborhood in the city of Miami still has this situation,” Fernandez said.
She told Aguirre that not much has changed since then.
“I’ve seen some city services out in the community. They’re trying to make an effort, but the situation is still very critical,” Fernandez observed.
One hot spot for trash is in front of Riverside Elementary School, located on Southwest Second Street between 10th and 11th avenues. Fernandez pointed it out to Local 10 News crews, “There’s trash in there. But this is city property. All (of) this is city property.”
Local 10 and Aguirre requested an interview with the the Miami city commissioner who represents the area, Joe Carollo. His spokesperson responded with the following statement:
“This is more of the same bias that you and Channel 10 have against me. You well know that this so called “resident” that you are speaking to is one that is connected to Ball and Chain, and that this is just another hit piece against me. Don’t any of the other districts have illegal dumping, only District 3? Every day my office sends four to six people out into the District looking for illegal dumping. In addition, we have a crew of six employees assigned to my office from Solid Waste that go out every day to pick up illegal dumping. I have worked harder than any commissioner to combat illegal dumping and to create more effective laws against it, along with presenting resolutions to provide the budget with more Solid Waste inspectors.”
The neighbors who Local 10 News spoke with say they have not seen a difference. Resident Orlando Martinez remarked, “Nah, I don’t see them (clean-up crews). If they have one, I don’t see them.”
“It’s really up to the community up to the neighborhoods to really take care of their neighborhoods, because they’re throwing trash right where they live,” volunteer Juan Patino said. “It’s very heartbreaking to see that.”
When it rains the trash becomes more than an eyesore. Careless street litter clogs the stormwater catch basins when they are not cleaned out, leading to flooding. The trash that does enter the stormwater system then outflows into the Miami River, which dumps right into Biscayne Bay.
With so much at stake, the Cleanup Crawl volunteers worked tirelessly to make a dent. After about three hours, the team was able to remove 353 pounds of trash from the streets of Little Havana.
“There’s a need for this, this is a need because we are showing pride,” Fernandez said. “We’re showing that we do care as a community as citizens of this great city.”
But the community can’t do it alone. Concerned residents told Local 10 News that they want to see litter laws more strictly enforced, in addition to an increase of street sweepers on the side streets – where much of the trash accumulates.
Ultimately for the volunteers, it’s not just about the trash, but the neighbors they inspire along the way. In the words of volunteer Juan Patino, “It’s such a beautiful community, and we just need to protect it.”
Would you like to do your part to clean up Little Havana? Visit the Debris Free Oceans and Healthy Little Havana websites for volunteer opportunities.