Truth be told, almost every Communist country was, and often still is, a cesspool.
China alone could have 50 major sites, including entire river ecosystems.
Eastern Europe and many former Soviet states have areas that are basically unhealthy to live in.
The western world has its share of problems, but we choose to spend our money (mostly private) to clean up our own messes.
Socialists are always looking for a hand out. As long as the money keeps flowing you can bet that there will not be a lasting solution, which would turn off the spigot of cash.