When Roberta Longtine moved to Casper a few years ago, she had several items she wanted to get rid of.

They didn't fit into her smaller house, but she didn't want to throw them away.

Being a newcomer, she didn't know anyone in town, so she turned to Freecycle, a Web site where people give and get things for free. She became a member of the Casper group, which now includes more than 500 members, listed her items on the site and has participated ever since.

"I love it," Longtine said of Freecycle. "It's a good opportunity for people to give something to others if they don't want it anymore."

The club is different things to different members: practical, social, environmental, humanitarian.

Recent listings for the Casper group have included everything from a cast iron claw foot bathtub, to an Orville Redenbacher hot air popcorn machine to a railroad tie with "a good story."

"It's everything from soup to nuts on there," Casper Freecycle member Christy Giubbini said.

Pamala Rush found an answer with Freecycle when she was in need of a bed.

"I am currently unemployed and a few months back, desperately needed a bed," Rush said. "I got my dream bed from the list and free."

Rush's sister told her about the site after finding chairs on it for herself. Since receiving her bed, Rush is still a member and has gotten a few more items.

"I just got a ceiling fan the other day," she said. "It's in really good condition. It just needs to be cleaned up."

Hundreds of members

According to the site, freecycle.org was created in 2003 "to promote waste reduction in Tucson's downtown." It has since grown to include more than 3 million members in 81 different countries. Local residents are no exception.

There are currently 13 Wyoming groups listed on Freecycle with approximately 2,208 members across the state. The Casper group, which includes 573 members - the most of any Wyoming group - was founded on Jan. 3, 2004 by Sharon Holden.

Holden stumbled upon the group by accident. While searching for crochet patterns on the Internet, she typed in "free crochet patterns," and found Freecycle. She discovered there were no groups in Wyoming and decided to start one.

"I thought it could benefit a lot of people that were struggling to make ends meet," Holden said.

As the group owner, Holden maintains Casper's group, moderates the site and ensures that members are not "spammers."

"Occasionally you have to remind people not to offer to sell something," she said. "They don't mean to be disrespectful, they just don't think when they post it."

The main rule of the site: "Everything must be free, legal and appropriate for all ages."

'A better place'

Although members are "recycling" items, Holden said she has never thought of Freecycle as an environmental group.

"It always seemed more like a humanitarian group to me," she said. "The main focus is to help others with things you no longer need or use."

Freecycle members post messages for items they need as well as for things they want to give away.

When matches are made, members make arrangements to meet to collect their items.

Although some of the items listed on Freecycle could be sold rather than given away - a 45-gallon claw foot bathtub was listed this week on eBay for $1,145 - Holden said giving rather than selling unwanted items provides members with "a sense of making the world a better place."

"I believe it is a sort of 'pay it forward,' a deep need to reach outside of ourselves and try to make someone else's life a bit better," she said. "The same reason that people adopt angels from the Salvation Army tree or shovel snow for the elderly or volunteer at nursing homes. Most of the people really do want to feel that they contribute something positive to the world around them."

Trade, don't toss

Laurie Sain of Lander, who also watches the Casper listings, said she decided to join Freecycle two and a half years ago because she hates throwing away useful items.

"I try to recycle, re-use, or donate whatever I possibly can," Sain said.

Through the site, she has given away license plates, a barn and a shower door.

"There's really no down side to it that I can see," she said of Freecycle. "You get to help people out with the stuff that you don't need. It's also a great way to keep our landfill emptier."

Giubbini said the listings save gas money that people would use driving to garage sales and make it easier for people to find things they need without having to purchase them or "search it out at a thrift store."

"I don't dislike thrift stores, but Freecycle is so much easier to use and it's free," she added.

The items Giubbini has received, including a dog house and a bathroom set, have each been in good condition.

Even pets are allowed.

Casper member Branndi Greer received a healthy German Shepherd and Toy Poodle.

"They both came from loving homes and were in good health," Greer said.

From just a few members to 573, Holden has watched the Casper group grow and many members benefit from it.

"I see a lot of people who really have no need for anything, they're just continuously giving," she said of the members. "To me it's been such a great thing to see how much people want to help each other."

For more information about Freecycle, visit www.freecycle.org.