10 Practical Ways To Reuse Costco Containers

Even if you recycle, you might feel a little guilty throwing out some of the nice, large containers that bulk foods come in at Costco, which is why we've found some ways you can upcycle them instead. So, next time you finish off a large tub of snacks or even a box of fruit, you can rescue the container from the trash and reimagine how it can fit some other needs you might have around the house. Bulk buying doesn't have to mean your recycling can is overflowing every week if you can spot the treasures that are begging to be reused.

One of the bonuses of shopping at Costco is that several of its items come in really sturdy containers. Some are even glass and pretty enough to reuse. We've even seen some people talk on social media about buying a product like cashews at Costco because they liked the container more than they liked what was inside. The beauty of buying items from Costco that have reusable containers is that it saves you money on purchasing the items that they can turn into. Granted, some cleanup and creativity can go a long way, like removing labels or even redecorating it with paint or your own labels. We have 10 ideas of how to reuse Costco containers, but we bet you can think of some more once these jump-start your imagination.

If you run across a food item at Costco that comes in a reusable glass canister, you've hit the jackpot. No matter how you end up liking what's inside, you're left with a complimentary glass canister that can help keep your pantry organized. Some customers say they also use them to hold the nuts that come in bags instead of jars.

You can commonly find the 38 ounces of Kirkland Signature cashews in glass jars. With nice glass canisters in this size often costing around $18, it's like you're getting your canister for free (or perhaps your nuts for free, depending on how you look at it. Since Costco has consistently had the same canisters for its nuts over the years, some shoppers have been collecting them for a while. The ones the cashews come in have flat sides that allow you to place them flush against each other in the cabinet to conserve space.

To turn these glass jars into multi-use canisters, all you have to do is clean out the debris on the inside and soak the label in water until it comes loose. There are lots of tricks for removing the label from the glass if it's a bit tenacious, like scrubbing it with baking soda. However, customers say the black label cashew jars don't leave a lot of residue behind.

You might also run across glass containers that hold refrigerated desserts, including tiramisù and mousse. These are too nice to throw away, and some people buy the desserts just for the glasses they come in. However, if you've been wondering what to do with the glasses, we've found a lot of answers for you. 

Their small size makes them a good option for water, small amounts of sugary drinks, alcohol flight glasses, or table wine glasses. Another use is for mise en place food preparation. Plus, you can use them to store extra chopped veggies, for small portion snacks, or for serving dipping sauces. The good news is that customers found that they are dishwasher safe, which makes them all the more desirable to keep.

There are also uses beyond food and drink. If you're a plant person, you can use them for propagating plants in your windowsill. They're also the right size for keeping herb cuttings or smaller fresh flower cuttings. In fact, they're small enough to use at dinner parties to provide everyone with their own small flower bouquet at their place setting, complete with name tags if you'd like.

It's not just the large glass jars that can be a treasure; the large plastic snack food tubs can be reused, too. So, next time you empty one, we challenge you to imagine what they could possibly hold to make your life a little more organized.

Several snacks come in large plastic tubs with lids instead of plastic bags. Customers often reuse the Kirkland Signature peanut butter pretzels and Utz cheese balls. However, you might run across ones with other contents, like animal crackers, which have a square shape that makes them more space-efficient when sitting side by side on your shelves.

After you soak the labels off, they're ready to store all sorts of things. Of course, your first thought is probably to use them to store bulk food items like flour, oats, beans, pet food, or even home-popped popcorn. It's also great for storing the bulk rice you bought at Costco instead of dipping straight out of the bag. Some people use them for items they want to freeze. Still other customers think beyond food, using them to store everything from scarves to plastic grocery bags.

If you're wondering if there's something else you can do with large plastic food tubs besides using them to store more food or other items, you're absolutely right. Some people have looked at these plastic tubs and envisioned turning them into terrariums, especially the Utz cheese balls containers, which have a unique shape that's rounded in the front and back but straight on the sides.

Building a terrarium in a plastic tub is fairly simple. Since there are no drainage holes, you'll need to start with drainage layers at the bottom. First is a layer of rocks, and then a layer of activated charcoal to prevent fungi growth from the dampness. Then, you'll add a layer of moss to separate the charcoal from the potting soil above. There are a variety of plants you can put in a terrarium, ranging from miniature orchids and begonias to miniature ivy and ferns, and more. Once the plants are in, you can add any decorations you'd like.

In keeping with the upcycle idea, we've also seen people on social media scavenging to make their terrarium from what they already have in their yard. This can especially be a fun activity for kids. For example, you could use rocks from your driveway, dirt from unused plant pots, and even find grasses, mosses, or flowers in your yard to get it started.

While those big popcorn tins are awfully tempting when they show up at Costco, it's hard to know what to do with the containers once you're finished with them. They're often holiday-themed around Valentine's Day or Christmas, so images on the container, like nutcrackers, can make them all the more challenging to reuse — but they can also inspire what you do with them.

You can use them for storing holiday decorations to keep with the holiday featured on the outside of the container. Placing decorations in a metal container can be a better way to keep pests like mice out if you store them in your garage or attic. Another option is to use them as a gift package that doesn't need any wrapping paper. Although you might want to add at least a small bag of popcorn inside with your gift to allay any disappointments brought about by expectations of popcorn inside.

If you don't want to keep them holiday-themed, you'll be interested to learn that many people paint them or cover them with cloth to turn them into something else altogether — bulk food storage for items like rice and dog food is common. Meanwhile, others remove the lid and make them into trash cans.

People looking for plastic containers to use as seed starters have turned to various items at Costco to reuse for this purpose. In the past, people used the plastic rotisserie chicken containers as seed starters, but since Costco has replaced the hard plastic containers with plastic bags, the best option is to use the plastic fruit and vegetable containers.

Really, any plastic fruit or vegetable container will do. You can use anything from plastic mushroom boxes to berry clamshell containers and plastic salad clamshell containers. The clamshell ones with lids are especially nice because the lid allows everything to stay moist from the condensation collecting on it in the humid environment. A container that looks like it was made for seed starting is a plastic apple container that has individual compartments for each apple. Its clamshell design gives you 12 individual pods for each plant and a dome overhead.

One option is to stack two together to allow for bottom watering and drainage. In this case, the top container needs soil and holes punched in the bottom of it for drainage, while the bottom container should remain intact to collect any excess water. If your plants are especially water-loving, you might want holes in the bottom and the side of the container to allow for maximum moisture. Plus, holes at the top can prevent the environment from getting too hot inside.

We don't know about you, but for many people, it's a scramble to find something to place cookies or treats in for storage or transport. Suddenly, you're dumping the sewing supplies out of your cookie tins or just settling for a plate with plastic wrap over the top. However, if you think to save your pie and quiche trays from Costco, you'll have the perfect cookie and treat holder.

The beauty of Costco pie and quiche trays is that they aren't just pie tins, but they're also surrounded by a plastic clamshell that can help keep your cookies and treats fresh and safe from pests. Even if you toss the pie tin, the clamshell is still great to reuse. If you run across one of the huge 54-ounce pies, like the banana cream pie, you'll have plenty of space for more than a dozen cookies. Don't forget to throw a slice of bread in the tray with the cookies to keep them soft long enough to eat them all.

So, don't throw away those pie trays. And they're easy to keep, too, since they're stackable. Once you have some squirreled away, you'll take them out every time you need to take treats to a potluck or even to give away for cookie swaps.

If you've thought it's a shame to throw out plastic cold cut containers, you're right. Cold cut containers can be upcycled for room organization solutions and are especially useful because they stack on top of each other.

Not all of Costco's deli meats come in stackable containers, but keep your eyes open for ones that do, like Hillshire Farm, which is on our list of some of the best deli meats at Costco. Just wash them, and they're ready to organize your life a little better. While they're clear, some people add labels to remember what's inside everything.

You probably have your own idea of what you need to organize around your house, but if you need inspiration, we've seen Costco customers on social media use them for specific purposes. For example, you could organize your craft supplies by putting different types of supplies in each container and then stacking them on your shelves, in your closet, or in your drawers. Another option is to help organize toys; similar toys can stay together, which can make a kid's bedroom or playroom tidier.

Throwing away used coffee creamer containers means tossing potential storage treasures. Once you see how people use coffee creamer containers for pourable bulk storage (food or otherwise), you're probably going to kick yourself for not imagining their potential earlier. Plus, the fact that you can pour items out the top makes them extremely useful. Keep in mind that to make it pourable, the items you place inside have to fit through the hole in the top.

You'll want creamer containers like the Nestle Coffee-Mate creamers. The trick is to peel off the label that's shrink-wrapped around the outside. Then, you're left with a container that's ready to fill and reuse. If you're lucky, the creamer container will be clear, which is nice since you can see what's inside. We've seen people put all sorts of things in these containers, including popcorn, chocolate chips, candy, rice, quinoa, nuts, sugar, and beans. 

Of course, if you're concerned about microplastics in your food from recycling, you can always use them for non-food items. All sorts of small craft supplies will fit inside, like beads, pom poms, and paper clips. Since they're tall, you could even use them to store paint brushes. It's also helpful in the garage for organizing nails, screws, nuts, and bolts.

Finally, you have probably wondered what you can do with those large cardboard fruit boxes that you inevitably end up bringing home from Costco. If you've found yourself saving and then tossing them because you didn't know what to do with them, we have some ideas for any future ones you bring home.

For one, you could use them for toy storage, whether indoors or outdoors. Another idea is to place them on your pantry shelf or another surface to hold grab-and-go snacks. We've also seen people add compartments inside with other boxes to use them as organizers. For example, you could use it to organize items you take off your person when you walk in the front door, like sunglasses, wallets, keys, your purse, or the contents of your pockets. With a blanket or cushioning inside, it could even become a bed for a small dog or cat.

While some people leave the boxes as they are, if you're thinking of using them as a long-term organizer, you might want to think about covering them. You could paint the surfaces or cover them with nice wrapping paper or cloth. How fancy you make them is up to you.