Nothing in life is free; you can't get something for nothing; there's no free lunch. A group of Utah County recyclers who swap goods online would beg to differ with those old clichés.

Freecycling -- a concept that brings together Internet users on a message board where they post free offerings and requests for donated goods -- is gaining popularity in Utah County.

"I think the people in Utah County are very frugal, and they like to get things that don't cost them a lot of money, because Utah County isn't really that rich of a place," said Rose Johnson, co-owner of the Spanish Fork Freecycle site. "It's just a lot of really nice people that like to help each other out."

Freecycle.org was started in May 2003 in Tucson, Ariz., to help keep unwanted goods out of landfills, and according to the Web site, has spawned thousands of groups in 50 countries.

The Utah County Freecycle group was started on Yahoo.com about two years ago, and when the list of users reached about 2,500, founder Nessa Richins broke the group into three smaller city groups.

"I first joined because I love free stuff," Richins said. "Now, I still love free stuff, but even more now, I love the fact that through this I get to help people. It's amazing how many people have been blessed by this."

Emily Peery, a moderator of the Lehi Freecycle group, said she initially joined for free stuff but found it to be a great way to recycle.

"I've always been a recycler at heart anyway, so it also was something that as we started cleaning out our basement and going through and getting cleaned and organized, you always end up with stuff that's so good. I just found it's so hard to get to DI. I love the fact that I can clean stuff out and post it, and a lot of times have it gone that same day. Someone comes to my house to get it," Peery said.

Peery said she's always been a recycler, "probably because it's not that hard to do." She occasionally cleans out her cabinets and gives away random items, like extra bowls. "It's such a little thing to do, and even if it makes a little bit of difference, it's worth it to do it."

Freecyclers also occasionally host "freesales" -- offline versions of freecycling. (Think yard sale without the cash.)

Georgia Buchert said a Freecycle group helped make Christmas brighter for one of her neighbors two years ago. The single mom and her fiancé split up right before the holidays, and fellow Freecyclers pitched in to buy decorations and gifts for her son, Buchert said. "It was such a lovely thing to see resources come together in just a couple days and all of that generosity went a long way toward bringing that family some much-needed cheer."

Connie Cartwright, 56, of Pleasant Grove, was hoping to come across such giving souls when she made a posting on craigslist.com, a national classifieds Web site with a Provo/Orem section, including a "free" category. She lives on Social Security and needed a new car to replace the one she and her son shared before it quit working, she said.

"I think it's an awesome idea," she said of the idea of swapping free goods. "A lot of people on there have things that are usable."

Cars, trucks, motorcycles, and even, on rare occasions, homes, have turned up in the free listings, according to avid Freecyclers. But more commonly, members trade clothes, housewares, computer equipment, mattresses, furniture and craft supplies.

The site can present the opportunity for abuse and the occasional safety risk -- some posters ask for items to be picked up at their homes, while others arrange meetings in public places. Freecyclers say it's best to use the normal amount of caution when inviting someone you don't know to your home.

Peery said very few people try to misuse the site. "One general rule is you should give away as often as you receive. As you're going to post that you want something, you should be posting that you have something to offer people, and if you do that it stays really quite balanced."

Anna Chang-Yen can be reached at 344-2549 or annac@heraldextra.com.

Provo Freecycle: groups.yahoo.com/group/ProvoUTFreecycle/

Spanish Fork Freecycle: groups.yahoo.com/group/spanishforkfreecycle/

Lehi Freecycle: groups.yahoo.com/group/lehifreecycle/

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page B1.