 Currently 77. This is John Rosa of the Boone County Landfill. People think recycling is new, but before the modern era, it was a common household activity. Prior to the 1920s, 70% of U.S. cities ran programs to recycle certain materials. During World War II, industry recycled and reused about 25% of the waste stream. Today, that number is up to 34%, but we can still do better.