AN ENTREPRENEUR has celebrated the launch of the first eco-friendly 'zero waste shop' in a West Oxfordshire town.

Waste0 was opened up to the public at a special launch event held in central Witney on Saturday.

The new shop is run by eco-minded couple Csaba and Beata Molnar, who are originally from Romania and have lived in the town for the last 18 months.

Explaining the concept behind the launch Csaba said that the Wesley Walk shop aims to stock all of the basic essentials in one place, while also producing zero waste and staying environmentally conscious.

There are numerous goods on sale, stocking items from shampoos to juices and soaps.

READ ALSO: Oxford commuter stopped in coronavirus scare at Paddington station.

As part of the zero waste concept the owners strive to cut out packaging and stay as waste-efficient as possible.

Asked about what had inspired him to launch the store in the first place he said it had been an idea that had been growing for a long time.

He said: "We always wanted to have our own eco-business and we have been thinking about that for a couple of years.

"We always thought 'maybe it's not the right time' but now we have arrived at the point where we thought 'no more waiting, let's just go for it.'"

He said he could trace the inspiration for setting up the zero waste shop to reflecting on his own habits.

He explained: "I started thinking we are generating too much waste and I wanted to search around as to any other possibility to do things differently.

READ ALSO: Motorcyclist dies after crash A4260 Banbury Road with Ford transit.

"We found that there were other shops and also supermarkets that were trying to do it now too.

"So we thought this must be the right time to do it."

The launch event for the shop took place on Saturday and Csaba said he was 'very happy' with the turnout which he called a success.

Csaba is also ambitious about the future and said he was now planning to hire more staff once the business got off the ground.

The trained engineer went on to say that he also had plans to expand the operation with the launch of a second shop.

While he would not reveal where the proposed second shop might be he said the plans would only be realised 'maybe in a couple of years.'

Speaking of the impact zero waste initiatives have - including his own Witney store - he said: "I think it will never be enough.

READ ALSO: Thames Valley Police found guilty of misconduct after Lucy Sessions death in Aylesbury.

"We have a project and we tried to set that up and to use it to show what is possible.

"We want to educate people, just to show them that it can be done differently.

"You don't have to go to so many different shops, there could be one shop where you can find all of the essentials; every-day products."

Last year, supermarket giant Waitrose unveiled its own 'unpacked' scheme.

In June the retailer launched the 11-week pilot scheme aimed at reducing packaging waste.

The initiative featured a dedicated in-store refillable zone with 28 products including pasta, grains, cereals, dried fruit and seeds, available to purchase through dispensers.

After a positive response the firm announced in August that the scheme was to be extended to three more stores – in Cheltenham, Wallingford, and Abingdon.

Nearby Eynsham also has its own zero waste shop - The Market Garden - which was opened in May 2012 selling essential goods.