How to Dispose of Face Masks
General Public:
Cloth masks: Wash with soap or detergent, air dry in the sun, and iron before reuse.
Surgical masks: Remove the mask by holding the ear loops and dispose of it in a covered trash can.
Individuals on home quarantine or caregivers of patients who are coughing or sneezing:
Surgical masks may be contaminated with germs from mucus, saliva, and sputum. Remove the mask by holding the ear loops, place it in a double-layered garbage bag, disinfect with bleach (5% sodium hypochlorite), and dispose of it in a covered trash can.
Patients, Doctors, and Nurses in Healthcare Facilities and Hazardous Infectious Disease Laboratories:
N95 masks or surgical masks from medical diagnostic and treatment processes must be disposed of in infectious waste bins according to the Ministerial Regulation on the Disposal of Infectious Waste B.E. 2545 (2002).
“Wash your hands thoroughly” with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer after disposing of a mask.
