Denmark faces a stark reminder of pandemic mismanagement as nearly 20 million COVID-19 self-tests worth 430.660.000 kroner (~€58 million) ended up in landfills after expiring unused. The waste represents almost one-third of all rapid tests purchased during the crisis.
Procurement without competition
Region Midtjylland, which handled all COVID test procurement and distribution nationwide, disclosed the disposal figures showing 19.994.607 antigen tests were systematically dismantled and sorted into paper, plastic, and combustible waste. The bulk disposal occurred in January 2024, with smaller batches discarded from September 2023.
The financial sting runs deeper than simple waste. These tests were purchased in December 2021 without competitive bidding, bypassing normal procurement rules. In Vitro, a company that bid on the scrapped tender process, claimed they could have delivered the same tests with "a billion kroner savings" compared to Denmark's total two billion kroner spend on rapid tests, according to earlier Politiken reporting.
Carina Risvig Hamer, a procurement law lecturer at Københavns Universitet, criticized the approach as going "too far in using emergency exemptions" from competitive bidding rules. The pattern reveals how crisis procurement can spiral beyond fiscal responsibility when normal oversight disappears.
Silent ministers and systemic failures
Indenrigs- og Sundhedsministeriet (Ministry of Interior and Health) declined to comment, citing Minister Sophie Løhde's travel schedule. The silence speaks volumes about accountability gaps in Danish crisis management.
This isn't isolated waste. Earlier reporting showed Denmark spent "at least 770 million kroner" on various COVID testing programs, with evidence of "millions of tests purchased in secret" during procurement processes.
The inventory management disaster
The one-year shelf life on rapid tests created a ticking clock that regional administrators apparently couldn't manage. Region Midtjylland now holds zero test inventory, having cleared out expired stock completely by early 2024.
What's particularly galling is the original justification. Former Health Minister Magnus Heunicke promoted these tests as essential for "creating a protective ring around elderly and vulnerable citizens." Instead, they created a protective ring around waste management companies processing 20 million pieces of medical debris.
Expect Folketinget to demand procurement reforms and inventory management audits before the next health emergency exposes similar fiscal hemorrhaging.
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