Everyone cleans out the closet, the garage and any other storage space available around the house. At that point, the issue becomes what to do with the pile of items no longer in use. The answer just might be a local Internet message board called Freecycle.

After having sampled some of the listings on the Las Vegas Freecycle Web site, Veronica Sproul decided it might be a good thing for Pahrump and started the process to activate the Web site.

Like the name suggests, the service is free and all items posted as giveaways must be free as well.

Freecycle.org is an Internet based national organization that advocates recycling of everything. The premise is one man's trash really is another man's treasure and it works like this.

Freecycle has a Web site local to every major (and most rural) city in the U.S. Members who join, list the items recovered from cleaning and sorting binges on the Internet message board as an offer which looks something like: OFFER: Ladies clothing, or OFFER: 24 x 36 double paned windows. The message is posted where other members can see it and email a response to the person posting the item to give away. When the item finds a new home, the message board reflects it with TAKEN: Ladies clothing, and so on.

Members may ask for items as well, although the rules only allow queries for any given item from an individual once a month. This could be very helpful to the families in this area devastated by fires. Members can ask for anything within reason. For example, someone might post, NEEDED: Household furnishings, or NEEDED: Children's clothing size toddler and up. Asking for luxury items isn't permitted. Besides, asking for something like high definition television sets isn't going to get a response.

One of the main functions of Freecycle is to keep unused consumer items out of the landfills. Items that don't seem useful to one person may find a home with someone else. With Freecycle, the items at least travel around until they do find a use for someone, somewhere.

Although the group was established almost three years ago, getting the actual message board to function took a lot of work, phone calls to the organization headquarters, consulting with other Freecycle group owners and frustration on Sproul's part and on the part of those wanting to join.

"It took forever," said one member who joined just as soon as she was able. "Poor Veronica kept at it though. I'm glad she did. It's turned out to be a lifesaver for me when I needed something...even moving boxes, and it makes me feel good when I post something I'm no longer using only to find someone else is happy to have it." The local service is open to nonprofit organizations as well.

Other things not permitted on the message board are spamming, harassment, the offer of inappropriate for all ages' items and repetitive posting. There is a file of do's and don'ts and a code of conduct available on the Web site.

For more information about Freecycle, logon to www.pahrumpfreecycle.org, or call 751-9324.