In 1997, a cargo ship was confronted by rough seas and lost 62 containers overboard. One of these containers was full of around 5 million pieces of Lego which spilled out into the ocean and started washing up on Cornish beaches.
25 years later pieces are still being found along the south west coast and people are posting pictures of their findings on social media. A particularly rare piece of Lego to come across is the green dragon as there were only 514 originally in the container.
This is a very good example of just how long plastic persists in our oceans and environment. Even though plastic breaks down over time, it does not break down completely; instead it continues to become smaller and smaller into microplastics and nanoplastics. These can cause much more damage as it is more easy for marine animals to swallow them and for them to accumulate inside their bodies.
So next time you are walking along a beach, help heal our environment by carrying out a litter pick and you never know you might come across some Lego.