Save money and waste less making your own ice lollies

Where can I find 'Calippo-like' silicone ice lolly moulds?

It's well worth checking your local charity shop just to be sure before purchasing new, but if you can't find anything, I found the following prices:

• £2.49 for four at Home Bargains
  
• £3.50 for four at Ikea (plus £3.95 delivery)
  
• £10.99 for 10 at Amazon*

I heard Poundland also sold something similar, but unfortunately when I checked, my local Poundland didn't have ice lolly moulds but it's worth a look if you're passing Poundland.

Is this really more environmentally friendly?

Of course, we live in a non-perfect world so there are a few things to consider. Whichever lolly mould you choose, it still required resources to make it, so if you don't think you're going to use it for a long time it might not be worth it. That's one of the reasons I picked these silicone-type moulds, you can also use them as reusable snack pouches, or to keep other items in.

If you fill your lolly moulds with juice that you've bought in a plastic bottle or carton, you'll have to recycle those - but they're better than a thin plastic lolly wrapper which can't be recycled. Alternatively, if you buy loose, unpackaged fruit and juice it at home - maybe pick up some yellow-stickered bargains, or a £1.50 veg box at Lidl - the only waste you'll make can go on the compost heap.

Most curbside recycling schemes don't accept silicone, so it can be hard to recycle at the end of its life. However, silicone should be more durable than most plastics as it shouldn't break if you drop it, and it's dishwasher safe which helps with use. If you're not sure whether you'll use silicone moulds long-term, you could always keep the packaging and donate the set to a local charity shop.