At the event, people could get their belongings repaired for free in a repair cart, take part in various activities for children, watch science shows, listen to music performances, and eat waffles. The festival aimed to make people aware that things can perhaps be repaired rather than thrown away, thus creating a change in attitude that can help create a more sustainable society.
The festival was a way to showcase some of these initiatives and inspire people to become more circular in their own consumption.
Norwegians are world leaders in use and discard, but there are more and more people who want to do something about this. Among them, the students of the youth company FreeFix.
“We have done surveys showing that many people would like to keep things longer, but then again, repair is expensive and difficult. We wanted to do something about it, so we thought a festival where we offer simple repairs for free could be a step in the right direction,” says Even Eng Auestad, chairman of FreeFix.
“Every day we work to reduce consumption in Fredrikstad. If we compare ourselves with other municipalities, we see that we are doing quite poorly. We throw away more than most people, and we are the worst at recycling what we throw away. By repairing and extending the lifespan of various goods, sorting what we throw away and making sure we don’t buy more than we need, we can go a long way. It is therefore natural for us to be part of this fantastic initiative by the young people in FreeFix”, says Randi Folke-Olsen, campaign manager at the Agency for Water, Sewerage and Waste Management in Fredrikstad municipality.
“The Circular Festival in Fredrikstad was a great success. We estimate that approximately 800-1000 people visited the festival. The festival has received a lot of coverage both in the local newspaper and on the Fredrikstad local radio”, says Trond Åge Langvik, project manager from Fredrikstad Municipality.
19.6.2023 | Trond Åge Langvik (Fredrikstad kommune), trolan@fredrikstad.kommune.no
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