Ministers are looking at turning used and out-of-date Covid face masks into NHS hospital curtains and bed sheets after ordering billions more than were needed during the pandemic.
More than 36.4billion items of personal protective equipment (PPE) have been ordered by the UK Government since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.
But ministers were condemned after it emerged earlier this month that £2.2billion worth of masks, visors and aprons are set to expire before they can be used.
Junior health minister Edward Argar revealed today that officials are ‘exploring’ recycling the gear to avoid huge amounts of waste.
He also said ministers were looking at how to dispose of plastic lateral flow testing kits, and changing the packs to include more biodegradable materials.
PPE contracts were handed out via a ‘high priority lane’ at the height of the pandemic in 2020 which saw companies handed huge Government contracts without having to go through the normal procurement route.
It led to accusations of ‘cash for cronies’ after it emerged that friends and associates were the beneficiaries of the scheme.
Two New Zealand social media consultants who worked on Boris Johnson’s election campaign and former Health Secretary’s Matt Hancock’s neighbour were among those awarded contracts.
Pictured above is the Type IIR face mask, which has been used across NHS hospitals to stop the virus from spreading. Many stocks are now set to go out of date before they are used
Matt Hancock’s neighbour Alex Bourne (pictured together) was one of those awarded a PPE contract through the high priority system. He has denied cronyism helped him secure a £40million NHS Test and Trace contract
It is not clear whether the Government intends to recycle used PPE items or if the plans will only affect excess or expired stock.
Mr Argar revealed the plans in response to a written question from liberal democrat MP Sarah Olney about how the Government plans to handle PPE waste.
He said: ‘We are reviewing the potential of reusable Type IIR masks in acute settings, using existing laundry services to reduce the need for single-use products.
‘These reusable Type IIR masks will be recycled into curtains, mattress covers or other products to contribute to the sustainable disposal of personal protective equipment and zero to landfill recycling programme.
‘We plan to pilot reusable eye protection where the product can be recycled at the end of its life. We have recycled 22million visors to make plastic containers, which can be used to store food items and will also be recyclable.’
He added: ‘NHS Test and Trace is exploring alternatives to current test devices which are safe, effective and made of predominantly recyclable or biodegradable materials.’
There are concerns that many items of PPE — often made with plastic — will end up in the oceans, adding to the current crisis.
A study carried out by Nanjing University, China, last year estimated more than 25,000 tonnes of plastic waste associated with the pandemic have already entered the world’s ocean.
Most was carried out to seas by rivers after being thrown away.
Of the total mismanaged plastic waste from the pandemic, the largest amount came from across Asia – 46 per cent – with Europe generating the second highest amount, 24 per cent.
A total of 6.96billion items of PPE ordered during the pandemic are currently ‘not on the frontline’, ministers say.
Of these, 3.4billion (50 per cent) are said to be ‘excess stock’ suggesting they will expire before they can be used. They are valued at £2.2billion.
And 1.2billion (17 per cent) cannot be used by the NHS because they do not meet its minimum safety requirements.
The Department of Health manages distributing PPE supplies to hospitals, but demand has slackened amid falling Covid patient numbers.
Face masks last for about one to two years from manufacture, before they expire and are thrown away.
Richmond Park MP Ms Olney said: ‘Many of my constituents raised concerns at the volume of plastic in testing kits and in particular disposable masks.
‘This Government wasted £2billion of taxpayers’ money on contracts for PPE that was so poor quality it couldn’t be used, so it is about time they cleaned up their act.’
Ministers over-ordered on PPE amid a national shortage in the early days of the pandemic that saw nurses forced to wear bin bags on Covid wards.
They opened a ‘priority lane’ to allow businesses to bid for Government contracts, which saw ministers recommend friends and family members.
Last month the High Court ruled this had been unlawful, and given preferential treatment to firms that would otherwise not have got the contracts.
An investigation by the National Audit Office (NAO) found that those applying via this channel were ten times more likely to get a contract than those who applied to the Department of Health.
It comes after Mr Johnson launched a green revolution thought to be inspired by his environmentalist wife Carrie Symonds.
Among those awarded contracts were Ben Guerin and Sean Topham who worked on the Tory election campaign and were handed a £1.5million deal, and a company run by two former Michael Gove aides which received a contract for £840,000.
Companies with no experience with securing medical supplies — including dormant business Trade Markets Direct — also got contracts.
Its manager and a former bookmaker Garry Morrill said the NHS initially sent the £3.8million for the deal to the wrong bank account.
The NAO also highlighted that pest control company Pestfix had been awarded a contract worth £350million for 600,000 masks after it was ‘mistakenly put in the high-priority route’.
When the masks were delivered they ‘did not meet the standards for hospital use’, The Times reports.
It comes after Mr Johnson launched a green revolution thought to be inspired by his environmentalist wife Carrie Symonds.
The Prime Minister has pledged to make the UK net zero in carbon emissions by 2050 — and set out a ten-point plan to help achieve this goal which includes petrol and diesel cars being outlawed and a renewed focus on renewable energy.
But the plans, which many ministers believe are the blueprint of Mr Johnson’s wife, are under threat due to the spiralling cost of energy bills for homeowners.
Ministers are said to want attention to be paid to domestic gas production in the North Sea and other areas.
Five NHS trusts have already begun recycling PPE using specialist thermal heating machines to convert used face masks into reusable plastic blocks.
These are then converted into items including school chairs and toolboxes.
St Woolos Hospital in Newport, Wales, Queens Hospital in Burton, Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, Harrogate Hospital and the Royal Cornwall Hospital are all using the machines.
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