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Government left with 100 million Covid masks nearing expiry

Published: 19 May. 2025, 09:53 Updated: 21 May. 2025, 14:15

Face masks are stocked at a shopping mall in Seoul on June 14, 2020, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. [YONHAP]

The Korean government is sitting on more than 100 million face masks bought during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic that are either nearing expiration or must be released soon, raising concerns about waste and a lack of recycling measures for pandemic-era supplies.

The government has released approximately 64 million masks between May 2022 and March 2025 due to approaching expiration dates, according to data submitted by the Public Procurement Service (PPS) to Democratic Party Rep. Park Hong-bae of the National Assembly’s Environment and Labor Committee on Sunday.

Another 37 million masks are set to expire this year and next, bringing the total to roughly 101.3 million masks.

If laid flat, these masks would cover over 3 square kilometers (1.1 square miles) — surpassing the size of Yeouido, western Seoul, which measures 2.9 square kilometers.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the government designated masks as emergency resources and tasked the PPS with managing their storage and distribution.

Masks nearing the end of their shelf life — three years — have been sold at heavily discounted prices, ranging from 10 won (0.7 cents) to 250 won per mask. KF-94 masks with less than one year of shelf life are priced at 10 won per unit, while those with under two years remaining are sold for 158 won, according to a PPS notice from May.

Despite the low prices, the agency has struggled to find buyers. In February 2023, the PPS offered 130,000 medical masks at 10 won each but received no bids. The masks were eventually donated to social welfare organizations.

Some 500,000 expired face masks are stacked at a factory in Ulsan. Upcycling company Touch4Good received the masks from a distributor earlier this year to develop recycling methods. [TOUCH4GOOD]

Health authorities caution against using expired masks in high-risk environments due to diminished filter performance. Even new masks lose effectiveness if left unsealed for long periods. However, experts say that individually packaged masks in good condition can still be used safely.

Many of the masks produced during the pandemic now risk being discarded due to expiration, yet the government has no recycling plan in place.

Hong Su-yeol, director of the Resource Recycling Society Economic Research Institute, pointed out that while masks are primarily made of recyclable polypropylene, the presence of metal wires and other materials complicates the recycling process.

“Because masks will remain essential in the future, we need to develop a proper recycling system,” Hong said.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY JEONG EUN-HYE [[email protected]]