Across the world, beachcombers survey sand for little hunks of glass turned smooth and cloudy by a tumble in the waves. People wandering the shore of Dead Horse Bay, along the southern edge of Brooklyn, encounter the motherlode. No need to squint to find slivers of glass beneath tangles of seaweed—the shore often glints brown and green with entire, unbroken bottles. It’s also not uncommon to find intact light bulbs, bits of ceramics or rusted metal, or the soggy insides of old shoes. Tucked around clusters of bushy phragmites, visitors…
