More than 3 billion items of personal protective equipment (PPE), including face masks, eye protectors and aprons, have been disposed by the UK government, Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) data has revealed.
The figures includes more than 1.4 billion PPE items worth almost £1 billion ($1.2 billion) that have been burned by the government, according to the DHSC.
No 10 has repeatedly been slammed over its handling of PPE amid the pandemic, including the purchase of useless items.
Late last year, Tory cabinet ministers were accused of a "pitiful attempt" to recoup taxpayers' money lost to "dodgy" COVID contracts that were clinched by Downing Street. The ministers reportedly recovered just £18million ($22 million) of the hundreds of millions in taxpayers' money believed to have been wasted on potentially fraudulent PPE deals.
Also last year, the Commons’ Committee of Public Accounts claimed inflated prices and kits that did not meet requirements added to the government losing 75% of £12 billion ($14.8 billion) allocated for PPE in the first year of the COVID pandemic.