Children of the 80s will remember the highlight of summer was when the make-your-own ice lollies mould came out of storage. But they were bulky, hard to clean, and took ages to freeze, so - wanting to avoid plastic packaging - I've taken a look at more modern examples.

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The ability to mold finished weighted components without requiring further assembly and post-treatment saves energy, which can then reduce the carbon footprint of end products, said Avient. Moreover, molded-in colors eliminate the release of potentially hazardous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) associated with painting.

If you're a Calippo fan, but don't want to contribute a lolly-load of non-recyclable waste to landfill, you may be interested to know you can get reusable silicone moulds in a Calippo-esque shape.

Do you make your own ice lollies to save money? What do you use, and do you make 'em for yourself or your kids? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter.

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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:

When we checked, you could get silicone moulds in both the larger 100ml-ish size and smaller 75ml-ish size (from £5ish), so it's up to you which you choose but I'll be focusing on the larger size.

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As Pops alcoholic ice lollies are normally £5.99 for a pack of three, you'll make your money back making your own a lot faster than making your own Calippos, but please be drink aware, and keep 'em away from the kiddos. We found these freeze pretty quickly so you could always make your ice pops up after the kids have gone to bed to avoid any confusion.

Two boxes of six 80ml mini Calippo ice-lollies are £3 at Asda and Morrisons. Calippo 'normal-size' lollies are 105ml, and normally about £1 each when you can find them.

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.

“We identified a growing need for high-density injection molding solutions that will help brand owners, designers, and manufacturers create weighted premium products with more complex designs than possible when using metals, while simultaneously meeting higher demands on impact strength,” said Matt Mitchell, Director of Global Marketing, Specialty Engineered Materials. “Our new high-impact Gravi-Tech formulations can be customized to be as light as plastic or up to four times as heavy as aluminum with excellent weight distribution. As injection molding materials with good flowability, they deliver finished components in one single process step, helping to facilitate easy assembly.”

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New high-impact polypropylene (PP) grades, part of Avient’s Gravi-Tech density-modified portfolio of materials, are designed to replace die-cast or machined metals in premium-brand applications. They replicate the look and weighted feel of metal, including enhanced metallic surface finishes and handles, for personal, oral, skin, and cosmetic products.

A cost-effective alternative to metal, the new formulations pass strict drop test requirements and provide excellent low-temperature impact performance, according to Avient. The materials’ flowability, combined with injection and impact strength, make them a good fit for complex, thin-wall moldings while also providing design and processing freedom. In addition to pre-colored options and application-specific surface effects, the new Gravi-Tech materials are available in special grades for vacuum metallization.

Avient’s portfolio of Gravi-Tech materials combine the aesthetics of metals with the processability of polypropylene (PP), acrylic butadiene styrene (ABS), polyamide (PA), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), and other thermoplastic materials. These materials are currently manufactured in Asia and are available globally.

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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.

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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.

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.