Auckland recycling plant fire leaves employees’ future up in the air

By RNZ

Almost $200,000 has been raised for workers with disabilities who have been left without a place to work after their North Shore recycling plant burned to the ground last week.

The future of almost 120 employees with disabilities is up in the air after Abilities Group’s Glenfield factory was completely destroyed in the fire.

Workers there helped sort and process e-recycling, including batteries, phones, laptops and televisions. They also recycled Fonterra bags - removing a plastic liner out of milk powder bags - and did some contract packaging.

Abilities Group is now fundraising and looking for a new place to set up, and managing director Peter Frahar told Checkpoint, a Give-A-Little set up to raise funds, had reached almost $200,000.

“We’ve had amazing support from the local community. Overwhelming generosity, we’re struggling to keep up with the messages of support, and our Give-A-Little page that was set up just continues to grow.”

Abilities Group managing director Peter Frahar. Photo / Nick Monro, RNZ

He said everyone was “getting behind the good work we do and the staff we support”.

Two group meetings had been held so workers could get together, and the plan was now to find a facility where Abilities could get the workers back doing what they were good at.

“Staff are holding up very well, they’re really able to open up and get their smiles back, but they’re looking forward to the day they can get back to work.

“It gives them that sense of purpose, that pride of belonging to an organisation, spending time with their friends, having fun, and building self-esteem and self-worth. It was everything to them.”

Frahar said the North Shore facility was completely destroyed in the fire.

“It’s a devastating loss, it’s still hard to believe. It takes a lot to get your mind around the fact that a week ago we had all the staff working and happy, and, this week, there’s just nothing there.”

The Abilities Group recycling plant in Glenfield burnt down on Thursday night. Photo / Kaye Albert, RNZ