I actually do this with leftover ice at fast food places too. Not house plants of course, but instead of putting the whole paper cup with ice in the trash (where the ice will melt and fill up the bottom of the bag), I'll take it outside and dump it into a planter or onto the lawn where it'll do some good.
Found at https://wateruseitwisely.com/100-ways-to-conserve/
Obviously not getting fast food would be even better, but a little offsetting is better than none. Yesterday Katie and I were discussing ways that restaurants could cut down on waste, from tightening dishwashing practices to using the dishwater as greywater for plants or toilets to collecting liquids for…well, we weren't too sure what you could do with random liquids, but maybe find a way to dispose of them that replenishes groundwater instead of making the trash bins all nasty. All subject to sanitation / food safety needs of course.
Jul 16, 2014, 8:30 AM
Lee VibberAt home I just pick them up and rinse them off and put them in my drink…. Good idea about fast food ice, though.
Jul 16, 2014, 8:50 AM
Lee VibberJust thinking about what I said….rinsing them off probably wastes more water than was in the cube, doesn't it? D'oh!
Jul 16, 2014, 10:03 AM
Kelson VibberHeh…yeah, it probably does.
Jul 16, 2014, 10:20 AM
Lee Vibber(Truthfully, I'm a 5-second-rule person when it comes to ice on the floor, I usually just pick them up and put them in the glass, but I didn't want to actually admit that….)
Jul 16, 2014, 10:28 AM
Kelson VibberHahaha!
Jul 16, 2014, 10:38 AM
Katie ForemanYou could rub it around in a (clean) napkin or something for a bit–use body heat to melt off the immediate outside and wipe off any crud. Unless it skids under the overhang of the cabinets. Then that sucker's plant nutrition.
Jul 16, 2014, 11:01 AM
Lee VibberDefinitely!
Jul 16, 2014, 11:11 AM
Kelson Vibber*shudder*
Jul 16, 2014, 1:34 PM
Talbot BradyAwwww. All this cleanliness. You gotta give your immune system to chew on from time to time.
Jul 22, 2014, 2:16 PM
Katie ForemanThat's all well and good, but I prefer to do that without also chewing on hair and mummified carrot peels.
Jul 22, 2014, 2:24 PM
David HewittEconomists Rule #1 for saving water: raise the price of water. Done.
Jul 22, 2014, 3:20 PM