Go Green: Go Cone. No packaging, no waste.

It's July, summer finally seems to have arrived and we all know what that means.... the obligatory ice-cream cool down!

Whether we're at the seaside, the park, the funfair or just in our back gardens, the familiar tunes announcing that the ice-cream van has arrived, encourages lots of us to put the diets on hold and dig out our spare change.

Ice cream is the ultimate fast food

Ice cream is the ultimate convenience food - it needs to be eaten quickly and on the spot, but how many of us consider the packaging that needs to be discarded?

Fair enough, ice lolly's are usually on wooden sticks but in most cases their wrappers are non-recyclable - partly because the materials they are made from is not widely recycled, and partly because of the sticky residue left on the inside.

Ice-cream tubs and coffee cups need special recycling

Then there is the question of ice-cream tubs and spoons. Although plastic spoons are slowly being phased out, the tubs used are remarkably similar to take-away coffee cups. They are made from paper and cardboard derivatives but because they are lined with plastic they are notoriously difficult to recycle.  In large quantities special collections can ensure they are taken to the right facility for recycling but in most scenarios they will need to be discarded in general waste.

So what is the best environmentally ice-cream option?

A cone of course!

Ice cream cones are the perfect solution - not only do they avoid the need for any form of eating implement, they can also be consumed at the same time, allowing the whole product to be 'polished off perfectly' - no packaging, no waste!

So next time you're tempted by the ice-cream man, go green with a cone!