What is plastic?

Plastic is the general common term for a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials used in a huge, and growing, range of applications  from packaging to buildings; from cars to medical devices, toys, clothes etc.
The term ‘’plastic’’ is derived from the Greek word ''plastikos'' meaning fit for moulding, and ''plastos'' meaning moulded. It refers to the material’s malleability, or plasticity during manufacture, that allows it to be cast, pressed, or extruded into a variety of shapes - such as films, fibres, plates, tubes, bottles, boxes, and much more.

There are two broad categories of plastic materials: thermoplastics and thermosetting plastics. Thermoplastics can be heated up to form products and then if these end products are re-heated, the plastic will soften and melt again.  In contrast, thermoset plastics can be melted and formed, but once they take shape after they have solidified, they stay solid and, unlike thermoplastics cannot be remelted.