Nature Turns Human Pollution into Stunning Glass Beach

Original article on OddityCentral.com – a blog on oddities and wacky news http://www.odditycentral.com/

For years, Ussuri Bay, on Russia’s Pacific shoreline, was a dumping ground for glass bottles and waste from a nearby porcelain factory. But nature found a way to turn lemons into lemonade, and today, all those unwanted materials have been shaped into a colorful glass beach.

The story goes that many years ago, truckloads of glass and porcelain were dumped in Ussuri Bay, but instead of what should have been a landfill for unwanted waste, Steklyashka beach is actually one of the most stunning tourist attractions in the world. Years of erosion have rounded and polished the pieces of glass and porcelain into beautiful pebbles of various colors and have turned this place into a wonderland reminiscent of California’s Glass Beach.

Photo: grunja

Once considered a no-go zone, Steklyashka beach is now popular with both locals and tourists, and has been afforded special protection by authorities in the Primorsky Krai region. In the summer, it’s a unique bathing spot, and in the summer, people regularly drive from the port city of Vladivostok, about 30 minutes away, to take photos of this breathtaking natural kaleidoscope highlighted by snow and ice.