The Recycler

The Recycler

Website logo (top) and front page of the October 23–29, 2008 Recycler West
Type	Weekly newspaper
Format	Midi
Owner(s)	Target Media Partners
Publisher	E Z Buy & E Z Sell Recycler Corporation of Southern California through Target Media Partners
Managing editors	Patricia Ford
Founded	July 1973
Headquarters	303 N. Glenoaks Blvd. #L105, Burbank, California 91502 United States
Website	recycler.com

The Recycler is a Los Angeles based, classifieds only newspaper, started by Gunter and Nancy Schaldach in 1973. The Recycler was based in Silver Lake (a district of Los Angeles) and was subsequently sold to the Times Mirror Company in 1998. The company was initially composed of Jon from England, Barbie, from Canada and Dennis from Michigan. The Gunther and Nancy had, along with Jon and Barbie, operated a similar operation in Canada. They came to Los Angeles and started the Los Angeles version in 1973. Dennis came on as the typesetter around that time. The typesetting was done on a Compugraphic 2000 'cold type' typesetting machine. The original idea was that the ads were free and The Recycler was sold for 25 cents at the time. Jon would distribute the papers to the stores. Barbie was involved in Sales also. The 'company vehicle' was one of the original Honda Civics and an old Oldsmobile (or Chevrolet) station wagon.

By the 1980s The Recycler Brand was well known regionally and at least three famous bands of the 1980s were formed by people who answered ads in The Recycler. Mick Mars joined Mötley Crüe after placing an ad answered by drummer Tommy Lee. James Hetfield answered an ad placed by Lars Ulrich, ultimately leading to the birth of Metallica. Ulrich placed another ad shortly after while the band was in search of a lead guitarist. The ad was answered by temporary member/co-songwriter and future Megadeth founder and frontman Dave Mustaine. Also Duff McKagan replied to an ad placed by Slash and Steven Adler leading to an early incarnation of Guns N' Roses.