A Bellarine business continues reducing waste by turning plastic into building materials thanks to State Government funding.
Portarlington’s Think Fencing received a $330,000 grant from the Regional Jobs Fund to help the business reuse and recycle highly durable plastic into building materials, creating more local jobs.
Director Jack Fitzgerald said the grant would help the business purchase new equipment and staff to make more sustainable products and recycle polyvinyl chloride (PVC) better.
“If you can analyse PVC to work out what’s in the polymers and how it can be modified, then you can basically recycle anything,” he said.
Mr Fitzgerald previously collected PVC to develop products and processes that would allow his company to utilise a proportion of the recycled durable plastic in its fencing and decking products.
Premier Dan Andrews said he was proud to support businesses like Think Fencing to impact the region and see them thrive positively.
“These grants are really important as it allows innovative and smart forward-thinking companies to get the equipment they need,” he said.
“It’s not just for the local region. It’s also for the broader Victorian economy as exports benefit everybody.
“The other thing is certainly that recycling stuff that would normally go into landfill is fantastic for all of us from an environmental point of view.
“It is great to see the number of jobs flow because of this, and we’re proud to be a part of that.
“Think Fencing’s Jack and the team should be very proud; they’ve done a fantastic job.”
Member for Bellarine Alison Marchant said it was great that the fencing and decking company could create sustainable products.
“I’m delighted to see how we are continuing to support businesses like Think Fencing to create innovative and sustainable products whilst creating jobs for locals,” she said.
“Think Fencing is just one example of our businesses in the Bellarine leading the way when it comes to sustainability and I’m so excited to see that our government is supporting them.”
