Question

when did the recycling problem start

Answer 1

@OregonDuck this is the answer

Recycling wasn't invented by hippies. The Chinese recycled, the American revolutionaries recycled, as did early sock makers.

In 200 BC the Chinese Shang Dynasty charged workers with recycling bronze into weapons and charioy accessories.

In 1690 AD the Rittenhouse Paper Mill opened in Philadelphia. Paper was pressed from recycled fibers, including rags and waste paper.

There is more, there is an article about it in Readymade Magazine actually.