Taken as souvenirs by tourists and eroded by nature, Glass Beach, home to sparkling glass pebbles, is at risk of disappearing in two decades.
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| Glass Beach, located in Ussuri Bay, near the city of Vladivostok, Russia, is one of the most unusual beaches in the world. Instead of the usual white or yellow sand and blue water, Glass Beach sparkles with the colors of “glass pebbles”. |
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| This used to be a dumping ground, filled with glass bottles, mostly old vodka, wine and beer bottles, along with Soviet-era ceramics. |
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| Waves and tides have broken these bottles. Over time, the sharp edges have been worn away, becoming rounded like small pebbles. Glass Beach has gradually become one of the main tourist attractions of the port of Vladivostok. |
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| However, experts are warning that this beach, dotted with colourful “gems”, is at risk of disappearing in less than a generation. |
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| According to Professor Petr Brovko, of the Far Eastern State University, who has extensively researched Glass Beach, the beach is like a gift from nature, a way for nature to correct the mistake of human waste disposal. |
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| Glass Beach attracts crowds of tourists every summer, but the beach's gem-like pebbles could disappear forever in just two decades. One reason is that tourists take them home as souvenirs. |
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| But the problem is not just the theft of glass jewelry. Natural factors also contribute to the risk. Professor of Far Eastern State University said that waves and wind gradually erode the sparkling appearance of the beach. “You can see that today’s glass pebbles are much smaller than 20 years ago,” said Petr Brovko. |
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| Professor Petr Brovko worries that in a short time, the beach will be reduced to sand and gravel, like many other beaches around the world, unless more glass bottles are dumped here. However, the government has no plans to do so at the moment. |
According to Zing
