By closing Albania to the outside world, its Communist leaders preserved vast swaths of virgin Mediterranean coastline from unbridled development.

Yet trash and sewage from the consumer and construction explosion after communism endanger the pristine beauty that could fuel future economic growth through tourism.

The leading candidates in the June 28 national elections, Prime Minister Sali Berisha and his rival Socialist leader Edi Rama, both say they will tackle these issues if victorious.

Albania was Europe's poorest and most isolated country under Communism and people consumed little. Its opening to the outside world in the 1990s brought packaged consumer goods that led to a mass of trash across the country.

"This is a really disturbing reality. It's a new reality of a consumptive society," said Edi Rama, the Socialist leader and mayor of Tirana who is hoping to become the next prime minister.

"It is an absolute priority to clear the country from trash, especially the area with tourism which is very much out of control, especially for the seaside."

A traveler in Albania frequently encounters small random piles of trash by the roadside, with larger quantities sometimes dumped over cliffs or into rivers. In some spots, plastic bottles accumulate in rivers or along shores, although many beaches and mountains remain isolated and pristine.

Tourism has helped Albania to enjoy robust growth of more than five percent in all but one year over the past decade but as the global financial crisis bites, international officials foresee its Gross Domestic Product stagnating in 2009.

Other countries of the Balkans have problems with trash and sewage, but the contrast of majestic beauty of the mountains and sea with modern garbage heaps is especially stark in Albania.

Asked to described his country's garbage situation, Prime Minister Berisha, the country's dominant politician since the fall of Communism in 1991, responded: "Bad."

"We will have to draft soon a new strategy. Definitely a clean Albania is a top priority," he said in an interview last week. "We are building landfills in every district but I am not convinced it is the final solution."

Some officials point to some progress in recent times, including youth groups cleaning shorelines on weekends amid international efforts to help curb the spread of trash. Others say people even in developed countries such as the United States once widely littered until public campaigns on the issue.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS

If garbage is an obvious problem, the issue of sewage is often put out of mind, and many prefer to not discuss the reality of its end destination.

Environmentalists say Tirana's sewage goes into rivers, but when twice asked about the issue, Rama declined to answer directly, stressing instead the need to work with other communities on a regional plan.  Continued... http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE55G29420090617

(C) Reuters