Eco-Friendly Uses for Ice Cream Cones

Treats are something we know all about at Joy Cone. However, we also know there’s more to life than delicious foods packed into our products.

Take eco-friendly uses for ice cream cones, for instance. You probably already reach for cones to cut down on excess trash during a picnic at the park, but have you ever thought of using a cone to plant your favorite flower or transforming a cone into a bird feeder?

We’ve got those environmentally friendly ideas for you, plus a few more, to try out with your family and friends this year.

Holiday and Birthday Party Favors

When you throw a party, do you share party favors with your guests?

Imagine you’re having a birthday party and a few friends are coming over to help you celebrate. You know you want everyone to enjoy themselves and remember how much fun they had, so you create a little gift for them to take home in a plastic bag. The gift includes cheap baubles, some candy, and a note of thanks to your friend for sharing in your festivities.

The party favors don’t have to be wrapped in plastic. Why not put their contents in a Joy Color Cup? You can use the little gifts to decorate a table or surprise people as they leave.

Start Your Garden and Feed It

Start your garden off right with seedlings packed in potting soil inside a Joy Cake Cup. The cups are biodegradable, will hold the seedling in the potting soil as it grows, and will create a source of food for the roots.

You can learn more on our blog about how to create the perfect home for your seedlings to begin their journey in becoming a full-grown plant. Remember not to water the seedlings until after you’ve planted the cups in the ground or in a larger pot so the cones stay intact until the plant has proper support.

Create an Eco-Friendly Wedding Favor

If you’re interested in unique favors wedding guests will be eager to take home, why not choose a plant? Pick any kind of small plant, like a cactus or other succulent, a seedling, or a partially grown annual flower like petunias.

Snag a box of Joy Color Cups or regular Joy Cake Cups at the grocery store, grab a bag of potting soil, and find your plants or seedlings. Depending on the size of your plant’s root structure, you may need a little more or a little less of the potting soil. Make sure your plant is secure within the cone. Your plants should survive inside the cone with dry soil and no water for up to 30 hours – just enough time to for your guests to take them home and plant them.  

Whether your guests take the plants home and transfer them into a new pot, or plant the whole cone, you’ve given them a gift they won’t forget. Just imagine how adorable a gift table full of cones with little sprouting plants will be. You could even incorporate them into your table’s centerpieces for an eco-friendly option!

Bird Feeder Cones

Using a Joy Cone to create a bird feeder to hang in your yard is an incredibly simple and quick process. Gather the family for a quick afternoon activity and find yourself bird watching in no time!

First, you need a Joy Cake Cup of your choice – classic, colored, or mini cups. You’ll also need some twine or string, peanut butter, and bird seed. Then use a screwdriver or pen to create two small holes through both sides of the cone and run the twine or string through so you can hang it from a tree branch or post. Then, cover as much of the cone as you’d like in peanut butter and roll it in the bird seed.

If you question whether you should feed the birds in your area, learn more by reading about bird feeding myths. This list has the answers to 12 of the most frequently asked questions about feeding birds.

EnJOY Your Cones

There’s little doubt you’ll be spreading Joy when you pick up a box of cones at the grocery store. Whether you fill them full of ice cream or transform them into bird feeders is your choice, but why limit yourself to just one option

Involve your family and friends in creating your own eco-friendly ideas for snacks, decorations, parties, and plants. We’d love to see what your crew comes up with. Find us on Facebook and Instagram to share your ideas today!