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AI-generated summary
If you’re a sparkling water fan like me, you’ve probably noticed the sheer number of plastic bottles sacrificed on the altar of your hydration.
It’s almost a six-pack of bottles that can disappear into the bin every week. I hope you’re thinking about recycling and not tossing those bottles in the wrong container.
Zero waste is in the air
If you want to move toward zero waste or just save some money, you might want to try making your own sparkling water at home.
There are, to my surprise, quite a few brands on the market. I naively thought SodaStream had pioneered the whole thing. Unfortunately, between promotional sites and junk sites polluting the internet with fake reviews and fake tests just to push affiliate links, it’s hard to know where to turn.
I’m giving you my most impartial take right here 👈 — no affiliation whatsoever.
I went for the simplest model in the range. It runs without electricity, which was a crucial factor for me. I just can’t wrap my head around an electric machine ⚡️ just to pump a few bursts of gas into a bottle. The main benefit is that you can put it in any cupboard; the secondary one is that it’ll probably last longer than the electric model.
Gas, more gas ⛽️!
Once the CO2 cylinder is loaded, you press the single button three or more times depending on how fizzy you like it. Personally I press between three and four times — more like three when the cylinder is full, then one or two extra toward the end. You don’t run out all at once; the pressure drops gradually, giving you time to plan a trip to Darty or Boulanger to exchange your cylinder. And yes — you don’t throw the cylinder away! You bring it back and just pay the difference for a new one: €12.99.
But how long does a cylinder last? I counted about 65 bottles. Since these are 0.85L bottles rather than 1 litre, that works out to 55 litres — 5 litres less than advertised. Of course, it depends on how much gas you put into each bottle.
Is it actually worth it 💵?
I did a break-even calculation against a bottle of Perrier at €0.58 each: you recoup the cost of the machine after the third cylinder refill. From the third gas refill onward, the price 🏷 of a homemade sparkling water bottle works out to roughly €0.40.
You probably won’t make this switch purely for the money — Perrier bottles regularly go on sale for under €0.40 each. But you’ll be doing the community a favour by sending fewer pointless bottles off to recycling. It wouldn’t be surprising to see plastic bottle prices rise in the coming years with the plastic tax that’s been voted in .
Not buying your packs at the supermarket also means faster grocery runs — less time loading, less time unloading!
A downside 🤐?
On the topic of plastic: I have an issue with my version of the SodaStream — the entire machine is made of plastic, which doesn’t inspire confidence about its longevity. And the carafe is plastic too! Only the Crystal model has a glass carafe, and I can only recommend it — in my view it’s the only model the brand should be selling. Yes, you’d have to recalculate the break-even point, but I’d rather it take four refills instead of three than guzzle plastic with every glass of water! That said, it has a few drawbacks of its own: a bottle 🍶 that’s harder to screw onto the machine, and a smaller water capacity 🚰 — 0.6L instead of 0.8L!
