Litter, construction debris and untreated wastewater are conspiring to undermine Albania’s bid to become the next big tourist destination on the Adriatic and Ionian seas.
Fjori Sinoruka
Violeta was unimpressed by the rubbish blighting her summer holiday.
“It’s awful, isn’t it?” the 24-year-old said of the litter and construction waste strewn along beachfront at Golem Beach, a sandy stretch of Adriatic coast just south of the Albanian port city of Durres.
Golem is one of the most affordable holiday destinations in Albania, just 30 kilometres west of the capital, Tirana, and a relatively quick trip from neighbouring Kosovo. It is often packed with visitors, but Violeta said one week was enough.
“We’re going somewhere cleaner because of the pollution, like Ksamil,” she told BIRN, referring to a beach at the southern end of Albania. Pointing at rubbish, she said: “It bothers me because animals eat it and there are kids running around.”
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