occupying valuable storage space
I can't remember last time in the past 5 years, maybe full decade, where I was running low on storage space on a smartphone.
consuming bandwidth, and draining battery life
If they're truly forgotten and this not used, Android places them in hibernation. At a certain point, Android disables then and removes any granted permissions.
their icons present while the app itself is not actually installed. They would remain dormant until needed, at which point they would be automatically downloaded and launched.
This just sounds like a bookmarked PWA website...which I actually always recommend when available. PWA are less intrusive and less permission hungry than the typical app.