Tuesday, May 30 2023

All Cities

Choose Your City

'Larger than Belgium and a mile deep, lake Baikal holds a fifth of the earth's fresh water'

W.Bruce Lincoln

Glass Beach: where nature has turned pollution into beauty

By Olga Gertcyk

30 January 2017

Waves on Russia's Pacific shoreline crafted old bottles, porcelain and tiles into a sparkling tourist attraction.

Nature has correct man's mistake, and stamped its own imprint. Picture: Anna Pozharskaya

On a sunny day, the beach on Ussuri Bay - in Primorsky region - seems to be covered with lighted candles. In the past, it was used as a dump for truckloads of unwanted glass bottles and waste from a local porcelain factory, or so the story goes.

But nature has correct man's mistake, and stamped its own imprint.

Map

Glass Bay

In the past, it was used as a dump for truckloads of unwanted glass bottles and waste from a local porcelain factory, or so the story goes. Pictures: The Siberian Times, Anna Pozharskaya, @ula1673, grunja.blogspot

Years of erosion has broken, then rounded and polished the glass, giving the beach a distinctive quality, to the extent that people pay a small fee to come here and enjoy the sight.

Tourists are amazed by shining shore, clean water and splendid view on the Ussuri Bay. Known in Russian as Steklyashka, the beach is perhaps at its most stunning in winter when the snow highlights the vivid colours of the glass.

Glass Bay

Tourists are amazed by shining shore, clean water and splendid view on the Ussuri Bay. Pictures: @yuliya_savkina, RGO, @dumbrava_regina

The summer the colours on the kaleidoscope mosaic gleam against the black volcanic sand.

The backdrop is also stunning: the bay is surrounded by impressive cliffs, making a stunning contrast to the bustle of nearby city Vladivostok, just 30 minutes drive away.

Comments (21)

All comments
Best rated comments

Add comment

Back in the 90's in my previous life as a surfer my surf bunny casting director surfer world traveler coolest chick in the world (may she RIP) and I used to go to Kauai to surf several times a year...we discovered a place called Glass Beach...incredible...dump for the whole island for about 120 years...seal glass everywhere,,,every color,every hue...we used to bring home about 20 pounds each trip..I am not exaggerating when I say the glass was 6 feet deep in spots...I still have about 60 pounds of tumbled sea glass on display at home in Oregon..use it for so many creative projects..I miss that beautiful beach and the fun we had collection sea glass but I miss my beautiful wife much more...we had great times in those days and sea glass was a part of it...jes sayin'

Sandy Martin, Albany Oregon

01/02/2017 10:25

Wow, imagine being right there among all that gorgeous glass..... wonderful to hear about this beach and at the same time sad that this article has now put it there that it exists. I would imagine before too long, that glass will be disappearing.....

Ann Cummings, Portsmouth NH USA

01/02/2017 08:04

When did the porcelain factory close, when did the dumping of broken glass end? In other words, how long did natural erosion take to definitively smooth the edges of all this glass and ceramic to render the beach safe?

I think it would be lovely to take all empty bottle and glass waste and create such artificial beaches, maybe monochrome beaches, cobalt blue or iron green, or beer bottle brown. But pre-smooth the broken glass to render it safe immediately.

The Natural world shapes the Artificial world just as well!

Samuel D'Arcangelis, Ph.D., New Jersey, USA

01/02/2017 03:13

If there is anyone looking to package and ship some of this beach glass let me know the cost. I do have needs from time to time. I usually purchase 5 kilos of various colors greens, especially teal, blues, multi color pieces at a time.
middlechamber@yahoo.com is my contact email

Paull Cudak, West Dennis MA USA

31/01/2017 20:52

You are right Elmer - it is beautiful now because nature has corrected a human mistake.

William McLean, Copenhagen, Denmark

31/01/2017 20:25

Beautiful, but how long before people start taking "souvenirs" home with them.

elmer williams, usa

31/01/2017 19:55