40-year factory reduced to Ashes: Manager laments ‘beyond imagination’ loss in Weija Fire

The manager of Charkieh Plastics and Packaging Limited, a pioneering recycling and manufacturing facility at Weija Junction, has expressed disappointment following the massive industrial fire that ravaged the facility in the early hours of today (Saturday, November 22).

The blaze, which required deployment from seven fire stations to tackle, has decimated the factory, obliterating infrastructure built over four decades and destroying specialised machinery critical to Ghana’s circular economy.

Gloria Amenu struggled to articulate the financial and human devastation wrought by the fire in an interview with JoyNews, stressing that the loss extends far beyond monetary value due to the factory’s long history and commitment to its workforce.

An Era Ends: Loss of a 40-Year Legacy

Charkieh Plastics was not just a business; it was an institution within the local manufacturing ecosystem, specialising in the reprocessing of waste plastics.

The factory manager emphasised the deep roots and long-term commitment the company had shown to the community and its employees.

“It’s not easy at all for us because this is a factory that we’ve built up almost 40 years ago. And then we have workers who have worked here for as long as 33 years. And we were the first factory to have a ’24-hour economy’ 10 years ago,” She recounted.

The facility was one of the first in the region to move to a 24-hour operational model a decade ago, signifying its role as a high-output industrial anchor and a round-the-clock employer.

The longevity of its staff, with some working for 33 years, highlights the stability and sense of permanence that has now been violently interrupted.

Millions in Equipment Destroyed: The ‘Beyond Imagination’ Cost

The most devastating financial impact stems from the destruction of the core processing equipment.

The factory’s operation relied on advanced machinery to handle, clean, and recycle plastic waste before its final transformation into finished goods.

The manager quantified the capital loss, confirming the destruction of key units: “It’s beyond imagination because this is a factory that we have almost 6 washing machines and 2 recycling machines.”

These machines were vital for the initial phase of the process: “And our machines also wash and disinfect the plastics. Before we take them to James Town, where we manufacture almost 300 units.”

• Destroyed Assets: 6 Industrial Washing Machines + 2 Industrial Recycling Machines (Total: 8 major units).
• Lost Capacity: An estimated daily production capacity of 300 finished units (e.g., rolls of finished plastic sheets, crates, or containers) from their final assembly point in Jamestown is now halted.
• Replacement Costs: The replacement cost for high-capacity industrial plastic recycling and washing lines can easily run into the hundreds of thousands of US dollars or several million Ghana Cedis, a figure the manager felt unable to state publicly amidst the grief. The final thought captured the manager’s distress over the total economic setback: “I can’t state when you can buy it. It’s very, it’s a very heartbreaking” .

Social Crisis: Job and Accommodation Losses

The industrial fire is poised to trigger a severe social and employment crisis for the hundreds of workers whose livelihoods depend on the factory.

The impact is compounded by the revelation that the factory provided essential social infrastructure for its staff.

“We have a lot of workers working with us. So you can see the impact, the effect that it’s going to have.”

In addition to losing their jobs, many employees have lost their homes, as the company provided on-site accommodation: “We have a place for the workers to sleep.”

This dual tragedy leaves a large number of long-term employees not only unemployed but also displaced, presenting an immediate humanitarian challenge in the wake of the disaster.

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