I live in a small apartment in Portland, Maine, and I’ve been looking at countertop ice makers since my fridge’s ice tray is tiny and I end up buying bagged ice more often than I’d like. What stops me is the waste angle: the bags, the plastic, and the energy draw of a dedicated appliance running all day for what might be a few glasses of ice.
I’m trying to keep our kitchen low-waste, so I’d rather not swap one disposable habit for a plugged-in one that sits idle most of the week. From what I’ve read online, the countertop units vary a lot in how fast they make ice, how much they hold, and how loud they run, but I don’t have a sense of whether any of that matters in practice for a two-person household.
Has anyone here run a countertop ice maker in a small kitchen and found it actually cut down on bought ice, or did it just become another appliance on the counter? I’d also like to know how you deal with the meltwater and cleaning.