‘Swap Shops’ Help Environment – Contributed

FIFTEEN communities across Oxfordshire are running ?Swap Shops? in their local area on Saturday March 4, with people invited to bring unwanted items or pick up anything they want for free.
This is the first time that communities across the county have coordinated their events to raise awareness about waste.
The Swap Shops are being run by the volunteer led Community Action Groups (CAGs) that work within Oxfordshire communities to save resources and reduce the amount of rubbish going to landfill sites.

The CAGs were the first of their kind in the country and were set up by The Recycling Consortium in partnership with Oxfordshire County Council. The model is now being copied in other parts of Britain.

Moira Dorey, CAG Coordinator, said: ?The whole aim is to find good homes for unwanted items that would have been thrown in the bin ? this is about reuse that saves resources and reduces landfill.
?You don?t even have to bring anything, just come and find something you want to save it from going to waste.?

Fifteen Swap Shops will take place on Saturday at Barracks Lane, Buscot, Charlbury, Coleshill, Didcot, Faringdon, Finstock, Polstead Road, Sunnymead, Wantage, Waterways, Wallingford, Wheatley, Witney and Wolvercote.

Some Swap Shops will be run in community halls while others will be street events. Look out for posters giving exact locations or phone Moira Dorey on 07903 037290.

Cllr Roger Belson, Oxfordshire County Council?s Cabinet Member for Sustainable Development, said: ?One man?s junk is another?s treasure. These Swap Shops will illustrate that perfectly. Our plea is for people to keep hold of anything they don?t need, take them along to the Swap Shop, and see what you can pick up.?

For more information on locations or how to run a Swap Shop in your local area contact Moira Dorey on 01865 815871 or moira.dorey@oxfordshire.gov.uk. The CAG website is available at www.cagoxfordshire.org.uk