The eco guide to reusables

Single-use packaging is still normal practice, but every reusable receptacle saves about 100 disposable versions

I recently bought a set of top-of-the-range reusables. For coffee I got a KeepCup (keepcup.com), which fits neatly under any coffee machine, ensuring baristas don't hate you during the morning rush. For water, famously available for free from a tap, I bought a Jerry Bottle (jerrybottle.com) and to add bubbles, a SodaStream (sodastream.co.uk) - each carbonator displaces 40 bottles.

For every reusable receptacle you bring into your life, you save about 100 disposable versions. Plus, I've made new friends. When I bring my KeepCup to the coffee stand people want to know where I got it. Single-use packaging is so normalised - the average UK household gets through 500 plastic bottles a year - that it turns out you have to re-make the case for reusables quite often.