Costco Shoppers Are Coming Up With Creative Ways To Use Leftover Rice Bags

When people are looking to stock up on essentials while still getting some great deals, they probably go to Costco. The wholesale store can offer significant savings on many types of food and household items when people purchase in bulk. However, this can mean that it can take people quite a while to finish off their grocery staples, and when they do, they are left with large, empty food containers. Recently, one shopper finished off a 20-pound sack of Royal Basmati rice they had purchased at Costco, only to be left wondering what to do with the empty bag. Luckily, the rice was packaged in a quality burlap sack, making it the perfect type of packaging to reuse and recycle, which is exactly what this shopper planned to do. "Anyone find good uses for the burlap sack from Royal Basmati? I'm not ready to say goodbye," u/maplemuppet asked their fellow Costco shoppers on Reddit.

While this shopper can certainly be commended for their environmentally sustainable attitude, the practice of reusing sacks that once contained food is not exactly new. During the Great Depression, many families across the country were struggling to make ends meet, and one of the ways they did so was by repurposing old grain and flour sacks. These items were often sold in cotton sacks, so when they were emptied, innovative families reused this fabric by sewing the sacks into much-needed clothing items like dresses and even diapers, via Little Things.

Based on the response the Reddit user received, the spirit of innovation is still alive and well. Many fellow Costco shoppers were quick to reply with a variety of creative ways in which they like to reuse these burlap sacks. "It's got air access. It would be great for hanging anything you wanted to keep dry and breathable, like potatoes or onions," u/sneaky-pizza suggested. Another user replied, "Add a lining to make a tote bag." A few gardeners in the comments recommended using it as a grow bag or to "cover plants outside during cold nights or during winters." Other shoppers had no shortage of unique ideas for giving this sack a second life, including using it as a gift bag, pet bed, or even framing it and using it as home decor.

Burlap also happens to be a fairly durable material, making it great not just for carrying food or groceries, but for holding heavy things that might rip other bags. "I store tools in mine and hang it in the garage. Know exactly the weight it'll hold too," suggested one user, while u/choirchick21 said, "Great bag to take to the library and check out a bunch of books." But no matter what second life this burlap sack ends up having, reusing and recycling bags instead of simply tossing them is a great way to help keep the planet — as well as your wallet — a little healthier.