Because the best-before date has passed, the federal government wants to dispose of 790 million corona protective masks.
Preparations for “thermal recycling” of the masks are currently underway, said a spokesman for the Federal Ministry of Health led by Karl Lauterbach (SPD) to the FAZ. The magazine “Der Spiegel” had previously reported on the project.
There are currently corresponding tenders for burning the masks.
Kim Bjorn Becker
Editor in Politics.
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At the beginning of the corona pandemic, Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) ordered masks in large numbers.
As confirmed by the ministry, around 730 million simple surgical masks and 60 million masks with particle filters are to be disposed of in the near future.
The best-before date is "specified by the manufacturer," said the spokesman.
The masks would be disposed of for health protection reasons.
It is in the interest of the ministry to “use as extensively as possible” the masks in the federal inventory.
The “Spiegel” also reported that around 20 percent of the masks procured since March 2020 are currently blocked for delivery due to quality defects.