Using paper bags is a nice thing. Paper bags are usually larger than their plastic brothers, they can hold an impressive weight, and of course – they are friendly to the environment. However, they do have one disadvantage. When used in rain, they loose their structural integrity…

Almost all the shops I’ve been to here in Dublin use paper bags. Only three places have I gotten plastic bags, and all these places were non-Irish companies. I’ve done quite a bit of shopping since I got here. My place lacked everything from a kettle to bed sheets. There is probably still a few things missing, but after almost two weeks of non-stop shopping I’m starting to see the end.

Lucky for me I’ve only been subject to structural breach once. Now, this isn’t to say that it hasn’t been raining these past weeks. After all, this is the green island we’re talking about here. They named it that for a reason. But only once have I traveled with paper bags in hostile environment for more than, say, two blocks. It was from the Starbucks on Dame street to my bus stop at the far end of O’Connell street. This is about a 10 minutes walk.

I had just bought a new cell phone and being the caffeine junky I am I can’t seem to walk past that lady of the stars without stopping in for a venti strong black coffee, no milk, for here please, thank you. As I reached the bus stop and shifted the bag from my left to my right hand I realize I’m no longer holding a paper bag with a cell phone in it. I am standing there with a papier-mache-ishly wrapped cell phone with two rolled-up paper strings attached. I scramble to save my new Sony Ericsson from the inevitable fall into O’Connell’s storm drain and just in time I manage to jump away from the street-size tsunami of gutter-water as my bus pulls in.

So, in closing, to all the people of Dublin I say: Cudos for saving the environment, but I believe recycling should be done once I’ve completed the journey from the store to my home. Thank you!