By Ludivine Renaud
In my life, I’ve probably accumulated over 30 reusable water bottles. And to this day, I alternate between about three of them. Three. For various reasons — usually location and convenience
— I end up switching between these bottles if one goes missing for a while or if I spot one sitting nearby.
And to be honest, I have almost no idea what happened to the other 27. I know I broke two (both knock-off Nalgenes), lost one (it was strapped to my bike while it was on a car rack), and left about three behind in various places by accident. As for the rest, they’re probably hiding in old bags or bins in my basement, where they might sit, untouched, for decades.
But is it just me?
Think about it: how many reusable water bottles do you have? If it’s really only one, I applaud you. But take a second and think about all the “freebies” you’ve received. Did you get one at a concert offering free refills? Maybe a summer camp or a business event sent you home with a commemorative bottle. Or perhaps you won one in a raffle at school. Whatever the reason, this much is probably true: at some point, you’ve ended up with more than one reusable water bottle in your life.
So, what happens to these bottles once their initial excitement fades? Do they become forgotten relics, stashed away in cabinets, bins, or trunks of cars? We often start with the best intentions
— committed to sustainability, to reducing waste — but it’s surprisingly easy to accumulate a collection that we rarely use.
The reality is even reusable items can end up wasteful if they’re not put to consistent use. Sure, these bottles might avoid the landfill for a while, but they’re still part of a larger issue: consumer culture’s obsession with “more.” We often collect sustainable items without thinking about the resources and energy that went into making each one, or the environmental impact of producing even eco-friendly products we don’t use.
This isn’t about guilt-tripping anyone for owning more than one water bottle. But maybe it’s time to rethink how we approach “sustainable” products. Just because something is reusable doesn’t mean it’s truly sustainable if we aren’t actively using it. Small, mindful choices can make a difference — like pausing before grabbing another “free” bottle at an event or rediscovering the ones collecting dust in storage.
Ultimately, sustainability isn’t just about buying eco-friendly products; it’s about being intentional with what we already own. So, next time I’m tempted by yet another bottle, I’ll remember the three trusty ones I already have. Maybe I’ll even dig through my basement for the forgotten ones and bring them back into rotation. Because real sustainability isn’t about always needing something new — it’s about valuing what we already have.