Your trendy reusable water bottle is not as sustainable as you think.

The internet has deemed a new hydration device to be trendy, the Stanley cup, so you must abandon your Hydro Flask (which is SO four years ago, sksksk) and GO GO GO BUY BUY BUY.

Sound familiar? If you’re sipping out of that Stanley while your abandoned Hydro Flask collects dust in the corner, congratulations, you’ve fallen for one of the classic blunders, effective marketing. You SHOULD be feeling shame right now.

The trend cycle is committed to killing the planet yet again, but this time by deciding on a new trendy water bottle about every four years.

Some people might remember when they were sitting in classes and one of their popular and in-tune peers sat down with a reusable Starbucks cup filled with water, a few weeks later, everyone had an expensive Starbucks cup that they used for water.

The school jock had the Gatorade bottle they’d mist their teammates with, then the whole team would have the very same, orange-lidded plastic water bottle. Years later, the VISCO girl trend featured scrunchies and the Hydro Flask. Everyone and their mother had a Hydro Flask to sticker up.

Health science majors and nursing majors come back from Christmas break with their brand-new thirst quencher Stanley cups, deemed the “perfect water bottle” for everyone. With all of its shiny new features like a handle, a straw and car-cupholder friendly design, who could resist? They have so many cute colors and you need them all….right? 

The killing the planet part is the fact that there is a new trendy water bottle that gets the limelight every three to four years, leaving the old fads to sit and collect dust or fill up a landfill. And while the use of a reusable water bottle is overall better for the planet than single-use plastics, it’s following the trend cycle religiously that makes the new reusable water bottles more harmful.

Oftentimes, when a person makes a big purchase (a $50 water bottle) they are committing to a better lifestyle, focused on hydration and health. And good for them, but that $50 Hydro Flask is still usable once it gets a dent or two.

According to the Hydro Flask website, it can last an average of 10 to 12 years before you should consider replacing it, but some of them barely make it to five.

Don’t get me wrong, using a reusable hydration device, whatever form it may be, is still way better than single-use plastic water bottles. And it’s okay if you buy yourself a new emotional support water bottle after your current one has been through too much. 

The problem is that the old trends, which were meant to last a long time, start to fill up the landfill. There are a few responsible ways to reuse your old water bottle which include using it as a vase, for dry food storage, or to water plants. If you’re looking to get rid of your water bottle once and for all, you could consider donating it to a thrift store or checking to see if you can recycle it. With all trends and fads, please remember to consume responsibly and thoughtfully.