Virgin Blue Engineering & Maintenance staff have come up with an environmentally friendly way of replacing worn out timber aircraft wheel chocks. Wheel chocks are used to secure parked aircraft when they are on the apron and are generally made of timber or plastic. Old timber chocks tend to wear out quickly and splinter therefore posing a hazard to ground staff. Instead of sourcing replacement chocks from overseas a number of innovative staff including Les Payne, Jeffrey Aquilina and Peter Donahoo put their heads together and came up with the idea of sourcing locally made plastic chocks.

Across Australia approximately 1000 timber chocks are currently in use by the airline. An initial order of 500 plastic chocks was placed with Advanced Plastic Recycling and delivery is expected shortly. Over two tonnes of PET bottles, plastic wrap and old irrigation pipes will be recycled as part of the production of the initial 500. This is a great example of a solution that is cheaper and better for the environment, as well as demonstrating a useful product that is made from recycled plastics.

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Recycled plastic is not only good for the environment – it can also produce higher quality, longer-lasting products.

Business is booming for family-owned and operated Advanced Plastic Recycling as more companies become aware of their products worldwide.

Using mixed-waste plastic and waste wood, the firm produces posts, bollards, fencing and decking that is used by wine makers, oyster farmers, transportation and defence contractors.

The company has recently secured contracts with big-name brands including Foster’s Virgin Blue Airlines, Toll Group and Jim’s Fencing.

State manager Ryan Lokan says clients buy the products for a range of benefits, including the growing trend for businesses to become more environmentally aware.

“Our products are not only solving problems such as rotting, breakage and deformation of posts, planks or wheel stops, but we also provide our clients with a range of environmental benefits such as no leaching of chemicals into the soil,” he says.

“More and more companies are looking to our recycled product and realising it can improve the environmental sustainability of their own operations, as well as reap the benefits of the products’ high quality and longevity.”

“Plastic is a great resource, and by combining it with waste wood APR can create products that last in any given climate or environment,” Mr Lokan says. “Producing our goods helps divert 4000 tonnes of waste from landfill each year, and can also reduce the logging of trees as many of our goods traditionally were made from timber.”

APR, in collaboration with Signworx, is proud to sponsor South Australian Jordan Ormsby in the 2009 GT Championship. We all wish him the best of luck and a safe year in this awesome Porsche 911 (Type 996) GT3. We just wish he'd bring his car around and let us have a quick spin!"