Report reveals what happens to Costco's unsold produce

If you've ever wondered whether unsold produce at Costco goes straight into the trash, a Reddit discussion and reporting by Chowhound offer a different picture of what may happen instead. 

According to accounts shared online and Costco's own reporting, a significant share of that leftover food is directed to food banks and other uses rather than landfills.

What happened?

As Chowhound revealed, rather than treating all unsold food the same way, Costco says it routes leftovers into four channels: donations, new products, animal feed, and recycling.

In a Reddit thread on r/Costco, one volunteer shared a firsthand account of what that can look like.

"I volunteer several days a week at a food pantry," they wrote. "Costco delivers to us twice a week. They're incredible!"

Costco's own numbers point in the same direction, Chowhound noted. In its 2025 Global Waste Report, the company said about 76,000 tons of food were donated to U.S. food programs.

Its 2025 Annual Sustainability Report said produce accounted for 46.9% of U.S. food donations, within a broader 74% share that also included grains and bread, as well as dairy and protein.

Why does it matter?

The food waste problem is massive in America. ReFed said the United States generated roughly 70 million tons of extra food in 2024, or 29% of total food production.

When edible food goes to landfills instead of being eaten, the water, energy, land, and labor used to grow and transport it are wasted too.

Programs like Costco's reduce landfill waste, provide food to families in need, and find secondary uses for leftovers that are no longer suitable for people.

Perishable items still have to be safe for human consumption, and many local organizations do not have the refrigeration or storage capacity to accept them.

Costco said it uses the Environmental Protection Agency's Wasted Food Scale to decide how to handle that food, Chowhound noted. Items that cannot be donated may still be made into new products, animal feed, compost, biofuel, or energy.

The company also said in the Sustainability Report that it kept 82.8% of its food waste out of landfills in 2025, exceeding the 80% diversion goal it set in 2019.

What are people saying?

Comments on the Reddit thread praised Costco's donations.

"I volunteer at a food bank and have seen Costco stuff come in via 'grocery rescue,'" another poster confirmed.

"My partner worked at a wildlife hospital/rehab center and Costco would often donate pallettes of fish and veggiea to feed eagles, owls, otters, etc.," a user shared.

One user did toss Costco some good-natured shade about how the outlet handles end-of-life produce.

"Sell them to the public," they quipped. "Every time I purchase fruit/vegetables at Costco they go bad quickly."

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