Barely 25 percent of the billions of pounds of plastic bottles and containers manufactured each year in the United States actually get recycled.

Chemical & Engineering News cites that financial concerns, technological difficulties and competition for raw materials by recyclers in the United States and abroad challenge the U.S. plastic recycling industry. The issue also says cities and counties just aren't doing their part to promote recycling.

But the main cause? Consumers just aren't recycling enough.