Bellarine business turning plastic into building materials

31/01/2023

The Victorian Government is backing Bellarine business Think Fencing to reuse and recycle highly durable plastic into building materials and create jobs in the process.

Think Fencing in Portarlington recently installed new equipment and hired eight new staff with support from the Regional Jobs Fund.

Think Fencing began operations two decades ago when Director Jack Fitzgerald invented a clip-on solution to improve the visibility of paddock wire fences that are difficult for horses to see when in flight mode.

Twenty years later the company is manufacturing fencing and decking products at the Portarlington facility and exporting these around the world.

Mr Fitzgerald’s work is driven by his desire to make products more sustainable and he became interested in recycling polyvinyl chloride – the plastic commonly known as PVC - around 10 years ago.

PVC is durable, has a long life, and is used in all kinds of products, from flooring to cables and medical supplies. The plastic is one of the top four polymers consumed in Australia by weight, but has one of the lowest recycling rates.

Previously, Think Fencing collected PVC from other companies. After witnessing the wastage, it developed products and processes that would allow them to utilise a proportion of recycled PVC in their fencing and decking products.

Funding from the Regional Jobs Fund has enabled the company to purchase equipment to turn this PVC into decking and fencing materials - with eight new staff on board to meet the increasing demand for their products. This innovative process also saw the company nominated for the 2022 Victorian Manufacturer of the year awards.

The Regional Jobs Fund is part of the Government’s flagship Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund which helps businesses create jobs in regional Victoria, supports community projects and backs councils to build the infrastructure that locals and visitors need.

The Regional Jobs Fund is part of the Government’s record investment of more than $36 billion in rural and regional Victoria since 2015.

For more information go to Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund.