How many times you REALLY need to  use your reusable water bottles, coffee cups and cloth tote bags before they're carbon neutral

The reusable goods market is soaring in the US as Americans hope such purchases will improve the environment - but that all depends on how many times each item is used.

Some reusable water bottles, lunch boxes and straws need to be utilized hundreds of times to offset the amount of carbon emissions and toxic materials used to produce them. 

Cloth bags, on the other hand, only make an environmental difference if used 7,100 times, and data has shown that 90 percent are only used a few times.

When consumers purchase too many of these products, they sometimes aren't using them enough to offset the amount of CO2 emitted during the production process, thus harming the environment

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), reusable products are still the better option to offset plastic waste - which amounts to 40 million tons in the US.

However, the replacements do produce a certain amount of carbon emissions when they’re made, ranging from seven ounces to four pounds.

Carbon emissions are the amount of carbon dioxide emitted from burning fossil fuels like oil and gas that, when released, traps the sun’s heat and leads to rising global temperatures.

The impact of reusable goods on the environment is calculated by measuring the pollution caused by the manufacturing process, transport and residual life of product packaging.

A person's carbon footprint is measured by the amount of carbon dioxide released into the air when you use or make a product.

Every item has a carbon footprint, which varies by material, manufacturing, and how many times it gets used before getting thrown out. 

If you have a reusable coffee cup, for example, it will not be carbon-neutral unless the amount of CO2 avoided by using it it is the same as sticking with the disposable option.

By one estimate, a reusable coffee cup would need to be used about 100 times to equal the amount of CO2 from 100 disposable cups.

Anything more than that means that you have achieved your goal of reducing carbon emissions, but anything less than that means greater CO2 emissions than if you had just kept using disposables.

Cloth bags - must be used 7,100 times

A cloth bag needs to be used 7,100 times to offset the CO2 emitted during production

A cloth bag or tote needs to be used 7,100 times to offset the CO2 emitted during production, according to a 2018 Danish Environmental Protection Agency report.

And although plastic bags declined by 60 percent since they were banned, greenhouse gas emissions from reusable bags rose by 500 percent.

The production of plastic bags use 47 pounds of CO2 while reusable bags emit 15.2 pounds of CO2, according to a report by CO2 Everything.

Although the carbon emissions from reusables are far less, the drastic increase in production offsets the smaller carbon footprint. 

Reusable bags are typically made from synthetic fibers or polyester, a polymer made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) which is also found in plastic bottles.

States like California and New Jersey are taking steps to decrease reusable bag production and usage rates.

California became the first state to ban plastic bags nearly a decade ago, and in 2020, New Jersey followed suit, demanding stores require shoppers to bring reusable bags with them, but a new report revealed it has been a failed attempt to help the environment.

In California, stores turned to heavy-duty reusable plastic bags that shoppers could purchase for 10 cents, but because people didn't actually reuse them, it created a larger plastic waste problem.

The same issue occurred in New Jersey, with reports stating that since the state banned plastic shopping bags, there has been a rise in plastic consumption.

Reports stated that 90 percent of reusable bags were only used two or three times before they were thrown out.

Water bottles - 500 times

Each reusable water bottle 500 times to offset the amount of carbon emissions used to make it

Although reusable water bottles replace the overwhelming amount of plastic, they are energy-intensive to make, compared to disposables.

By one estimate, consumers would need to use each reusable water bottle 500 times to offset the amount of carbon emissions used to produce the same number of disposable plastic bottles.

Reusable water bottles are made of stainless steel, aluminum, glass or BPA-free plastic - meaning it is free from the industrial chemical Bisphenol-A. 

Although the plastic water bottle can be reused, it poses the same environmental problems as single-use plastic bottles. 

The answer is to simply buy fewer reusable water bottles, noting that you may need only one or two in several years.

As of 2024, around most US adults own a reusable water bottle, but Americans still purchase about 50 billion plastic water bottles every year. 

Cloth Napkin - must be used 43 times

Cloth napkins need to be used 43 times to offset its CO2

One cloth napkin would need to be used 43 times to offset the amount of carbon emissions used to make it, according to Sustainable Living.

While this may make sense in restaurants, buying more than one or two sets at home may not make up for how often you would need to use it. 

Producing one cloth napkin causes more than one 2.2 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions and uses 39 gallons of water, but washing it after each use adds to its emissions footprint. 

Nonetheless, using a single cloth napkin over one year will have replaced roughly 350 paper napkins, according to the sustainability site, Treehugger.

Coffee Cup - must be used 100 times

One reusable coffee cup needs to be used 100 times to offset its CO2

Reusable coffee cups have become the go-to choice for a lot of consumers, with even Starbucks offering a reusable option.

However, as people purchase more reusable coffee cups, the effect it has on the environment and climate change as a whole begins to diminish.

It would take using one reusable coffee cup 100 times to offset the 4.4 pounds of carbon emissions emitted when it is produced, according to a 2020 Life Cycle Assessment.

Reusable coffee cups can be used five days per week for about eight years before they deteriorate, meaning you can use each one 8,000 times.

Using a reusable cup that many times would offset its carbon footprint by 80 times, making it worth the emissions - but only if it is used until it falls apart.

Lunch Box - must be used 208 times

Lunchboxes need to be used 208 times each to offset its carbon footprint

A lunchbox used for a year costs the Earth about 30 grams of carbon, and while this is significantly better than disposable packaging's approximately 105 grams of CO2, it would still take about 208 uses before that reusable lunchbox offset the carbon emissions it took to make it, according to Vapur.

Reusable lunchboxes are made out of materials including metal, plastic, glass and wood. 

Reusable lunchboxes are more environmentally friendly in the long-term, with more than 16 billion pieces of disposable packaging used for takeaway food every year, according to a study in Science Direct.

Straw - must be used 105 times

Although reusable straws emit a small amount of CO2, they still need to be used 105 times to offset its carbon footprint

The idea of a reusable straw can be deceiving – they were originally invented to combat the rise in plastic that ends up in the oceans, but their production also releases increasingly high levels of carbon emissions into the atmosphere.

A metal straw will need to be used more than 150 times to offset the half pound of carbon emitted during production, while silicone straws need to be used 105 times, according to a Sandia Area Federal Credit Union report.

READ MORE: Woman shares terrifying PSA about reusable water bottles 

A content creator has warned people about the dangers of reusable water bottles after she was forced to go to urgent care four times when she fell ill because of the mold in the bottle. 

How to reduce your carbon footprint

Each person has a carbon footprint – the number of products they buy and use that produced carbon emissions when they were made, like reusable water bottles, cloth napkins, or lunch boxes.

The average American’s carbon footprint is 16 tons per year, Perch Energy, Inc. reported.

But this also depends on a person’s location which varies from state to state and is likely due to things like travel and transportation, electricity consumption, access to clean energy, and the area’s population.

There are several steps you can take to reduce your carbon footprint, like sticking to only one or two reusable items per person, instead of purchasing a surplus while you’re waiting at the checkout line.

Taking shorter showers and turning down your heat by just one or two degrees can also make a big difference.

Reducing your plastic use, using renewable energy, group transportation (whether a carpool or public transit), and switching to reusable products are also a quick and efficient way to cut back on your carbon footprint.