1. Plastics in everyday life

We see plastics around us every day. Almost every item we use are made up of plastic(s), and most of the eatables we buy are packed in plastic covers. Plastics have completely occupied our life due to their characteristic qualities.  The word plastic comes from the Latin (plasticus-capable of moulding) and Greek word (plastikos-fit for moulding).

 

  

In the olden days, clothes were made from natural fibres, whereas due to modernisation, we are using synthetic fibres made of polymers.

  

Plastics are polymeric materials with similar properties of synthetic fibres. They have the capability of being moulded or shaped, usually by the application of heat and pressure.

 

  

  

Some of the plastics' application includes tough and lightweight beverage bottles made of polyethene terephthalate (PET), flexible hosepipe made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and insulating containers of foamed polystyrene, and shatterproof windows made of polymethyl methacrylate.