So maybe you've cut out drinking bottled water when plain old tap water will do (if you haven't, see our report When tapwater becomes trendy, necessary, convenient), but you're still buying the fizzy stuff in plastic or glass. Depending on your sparkling water habit, that can add up to a lot of resources wasted: both in the materials and the transport miles needed to deliver those bottles from factory to store.

This doesn't mean you have to forgo the bubbly stuff to keep your carbon footprint in check, but there are ways to drink it without using new bottles or racking up your food miles. While you can fork over a few thousand dollars for a restaurant-counter-style carbonator, there are other cheaper options to keep the bubbles flowing without all those containers.

1) Soda syphons

The simplest way to make your own seltzer is by buying a soda syphon and chargers.

What you need:

• A soda syphon or seltzer bottle (choose glass, stainless steel or aluminum over the shorter-lived plastic option)
• Cannisters of pressured CO2

You can invest in an under-$100 container like those from Liss ($73.95, plus chargers) or iSi ($70, plus chargers) or a bit more for Mr. Fizz ($149.50, including 10 chargers). These seltzer bottles just need to be attached with a charger via a snap-on or screw-on mechanism, then you press the plunger and create carbonated water inside the syphon.

Some users complain that with this type of system the water doesn't get carbonated enough, though others suggest leaving the bottle in the refrigerator to cool it so it will become more carbonated.

2) A small carbonating machine

For a bit more money, but a machine that lets you control the amount of carbonation and fill several bottles at once, there's Soda Stream's Penguin.

The machine is $250 which includes the two glass refillable bottles (see our video for an at-home demo with the Penguin).

3) DIY on-tap home carbonator

With a bit more work, you can have your own carbonated water on tap at less than a penny per bottle.

There are a few websites that will give you a very detailed lesson on how to go about this (see below), but we'll go through the basic parts and steps.

Parts:

• A gas tank or buy a refillable CO2 tank (or even an old fire extinguisher will do)
• 1 dual-gauge regulator
• 2-3 feet of tubing (thick plastic hose or beverage tubing): 1/4" by 1/2"
• 2 hose clamps
• Beverage adaptors or a coupling assembly for the bottle top
• Teflon tape

Directions

Step 1: Setting up your tank

You can buy a swappable CO2 tank or you can fill any gas tank (or an old fire extinguisher) at a fire extinguisher store or through a commercial soft drink or beer supplier.

A 20 pound tank is more than sufficient: this yields about 700 gallons of carbonated water.

Step 2: Connecting the parts

Connect the hose to the regulator and the coupling with a clamp at each end. Use the Teflon tape to seal the threaded connections.

Step 3: Setting up a bottle

Screw the coupling onto a full bottle (a recycled 1 or 2 liter bottle). Make sure the water is chilled.

Step 4: Carbonating the water

Once you're certain everything fits tightly, open the valves slowly and shakes the bottle vigorously for a few seconds to mix.

* Warning: this step can be dangerous. As Lawrence Downes explains in a DIY piece on the topic for the New York Times, he was warned that setting his regulator to 40 p.s.i. (pounds per square inch) was dangerous since a part could fly off "like a bullet". He didn't have any problems, but his hardware supplier suggested setting it at 30 p.s.i. as an upper limit. Depending on how you set your regulator you will need anywhere from seconds to minutes to carbonate your beverage.

While this procedure can seem intimidating, according to Downes, you just need "Montessori-level mechanical skills — the ability to turn a valve and tighten a hose clamp".

Cost:

$150 and up (depending if you buy a swappable commercial tank or fill a tank at a fire extinguisher store or via commercial beverage supplier).

For more info:

• Carbonating at Home
• A step-by-step guide to home carbonation
• Home carbonation system
• DIY seltzer water (with video)