A NEW festival aiming to help people cut waste took over Oxford Town Hall yesterday.

Oxfordshire Reuses explored how residents can go beyond recycling and move towards a zero-waste life.

The free event, which saw hundreds of visitors from 12pm to 3pm, featured food, jewellery and clothes stalls allowing residents to give their goods a new lease of life while saving money and helping the planet.

READ AGAIN: Oxfordshire MPs answer six questions on climate change

City councillor Tom Hayes, 'cabinet member for zero carbon Oxford', opened the event alongside Cat Fletcher, an award-winning waste-prevention activist, researcher and practitioner.

Mr Hayes said: “We’re facing a climate emergency and the world’s top scientists warn that we all have to act now to save the planet.

“Oxford has its eyes on the prize of being England’s first circular city – one which reduces the amount of waste produced, but reuses rather than dumping all waste generated.”

The event included a repair cafe, for visitors to bring one item for a group of skilled volunteers to fix; clothes and swap shops for people’s unwanted but fair-quality goods; a ‘kids upcycling area’; workshops for children and a food surplus cafe put on by Rose Hill Junior Youth Club and FareShare..

Oxford Mail:

Mr Hayes continued: “For the city, this is just the start of an exciting journey, and the council’s message is: over to you.

“We want to see everyone attending the festival giving a new lease of life to clothes and household goods.”

The event, organised by the city council's commercial arm Oxford Direct Services in partnership with the county council, was part of Oxford Green Week, a festival using ‘culture, creativity and community to inspire local people to take action against climate change’.

READ AGAIN: What is Oxford Green Week?

The week-long festival, this year themed around 'One Planet Living' – to promote 'a vision of a world where people enjoy happy, healthy lives within the natural limits of the planet, leaving space for wildlife and wilderness' – ended yesterday.

Oxford Mail:

Oxford Direct Services managing director Simon Howick said: “We are passionate about doing all we can to help residents reduce their waste, reuse and recycle as much as possible and loved working with so many great local organisations to bring this exciting event to Oxford.”