Once the ice cream is finished, the reflex is often the same: straight to the trash for the empty pot. Yet these plastic or polystyrene tubs are sturdy, lightweight, often equipped with a handy lid. In other words, they have everything they need to be useful again around the house. Before throwing them away, it’s really worth taking a moment to consider what they could become.
Because behind a simple ice-cream tub lie clever storage solutions for the balcony, the desk, the laundry room, or the children’s room. With a good wash and a touch of imagination, six very simple ideas can give them a true second life, without spending a penny. And some of these transformations are so practical that you end up regretting how many you threw away.
Preparing ice-cream pots before reusing them at home
Before reusing ice cream pots, washing them at the sink is essential. Simply wash them thoroughly with lukewarm water and a little dish soap, removing any ice remnants stuck to the walls and corners. A good rinse, followed by complete drying in the air or with a clean cloth, prevents odors and mold. As long as the pot isn’t perfectly dry, set it aside.
Once clean and dry, these containers lend themselves well to cutting, painting, or gluing decorative paper. We can also keep their original shape when we want to preserve the lid. If a pot is cracked or really damaged, it’s better to recycle it rather than reuse it. For the others, here come very practical ideas.
6 ideas to reuse ice-cream pots as practical storage
The first obvious use is to transform an empty ice-cream tub into a small planter. We drill a few holes at the bottom with a nail or the tip of a knife, add potting soil, then a houseplant or herbs for the windowsill. Another simple idea: as a pencil pot, it holds pencils, markers, rulers, or scissors on the desk. A covering with adhesive paper or fabric instantly gives it the look of a store-bought pot.
These deep containers also prove very practical for laundry. Filled with clothespins, they prevent them from scattering on the balcony or in the laundry room and make them easy to carry. Under the sink, one or two bins help group sponges, gloves, small brushes, and cleaning cloths, instead of leaving them loose separately. In the office or entryway, they become boxes for USB cables, chargers, earphones, and adapters; with the lid, everything stays dust-free. In a child’s bedroom, finally, they hold small toy cars, building blocks, or game pieces, which are easy to identify by adding a label.
Recycle empty ice cream tubs when you don’t reuse them
Even though these six ideas tempt you to keep everything, you sometimes end up with pots that are truly too many. In that case, the question of sorting arises. Recycling organizations like Tricentris remind that guidelines vary by material and by municipality.
The right reflex is to check the symbol on the bottom of the container and then consult your local authority’s website to know whether it goes to the recycling bin or to household waste. And nothing prevents keeping only a few empty ice cream tubs for these very specific uses, in order to keep the home tidy without taking over the cupboards.
