Plastic is destroying our oceans, as small pieces of polycarbonate bottles break into even smaller pieces and swirl into islands in the middle of the ocean. These bits get swallowed by animals, or lodged in their gills, causing ecological havoc. But not all plastic floating in the ocean is sinister — some is just plain fun. Plastic pollution in water. Image via venturebeat.com Take the example of the beaches of Cornwall, UK. In 1997, a shipping container full of LEGOs sunk to the bottom of the ocean. But the tenacious plastic toys found their way out of the steel box and are now circulating through the sea. And they are even washing up on Cornish beaches like little plastic shells shaped like LEGO accessories. Image via BBC Now, 17 years after the shipwreck, the beached toys total 4.8 million LEGOs, ironically including sea-themed pieces such as cutlasses, flippers, spear guns, seagrass, and scuba gear. Dragons and daisies were also in the mix. After a bad storm, pieces can be collected on the beach, with dragons and octopi being the most prized finds. Image via BBC The event has ...
Plastic is destroying our oceans, as small pieces of polycarbonate bottles break into even smaller pieces and swirl into islands in the middle of the ocean. These bits get swallowed by animals, or lodged in their gills, causing ecological havoc. But not all plastic floating in the ocean is sinister — some is just plain fun. Plastic pollution in water. Image via venturebeat.com Take the example of the beaches of Cornwall, UK. In 1997, a shipping container full of LEGOs sunk to the bottom of the ocean. But the tenacious plastic toys found their way out of the steel box and are now circulating through the sea. And they are even washing up on Cornish beaches like little plastic shells shaped like LEGO accessories. Image via BBC Now, 17 years after the shipwreck, the beached toys total 4.8 million LEGOs, ironically including sea-themed pieces such as cutlasses, flippers, spear guns, seagrass, and scuba gear. Dragons and daisies were also in the mix. After a bad storm, pieces can be collected on the beach, with dragons and octopi being the most prized finds. Image via BBC The event has ...