LEWISTON – As part of the Bates College efforts to reduce campus waste and encourage the reuse of materials when students move out, the college organizes an annual Clean Sweep event.

Clean Sweep is essentially a tag sale of items the students leave behind when they move out, and it is staffed by volunteer organizations who then benefit from the proceeds.

The college is planning for the Saturday, June 16, event. Volunteers are needed to arrange for supplies, such as tables and trucks; collect items from residence halls around campus; sort, organize, clean, price and arrange the items for sale day; work at the sale; and help clean up after the sale

Bates has been working with community organizations in the Lewiston-Auburn area for the past six years. Shifts will be split into morning, afternoon and evening. Organization looking for an opportunity to volunteer and raise funds should contact Julie Rosenbach, environmental coordinator, at 786-8367 or [email protected].

As an incentive for helping, there will be a presale for volunteers from 3 to 6 p.m. Friday, June 15. In order to qualify, volunteers must work at least two full shifts. Purchases will be limited to five items each, including one large item.

After expenses, the proceeds of Clean Sweep will be distributed to participating community organizations based on their total number of volunteer hours. Last year’s event raised $9,000.