Which of the following articles made of plastics ‘can be recycled’ and which cannot be recycled’ ? give reasons for your choice?Telephone instruments, plastic toys, cooker handles, plastic covering on electrical wires, electric switches, ballpoint pens, carry bags, plastic bottles, plastic chairs

PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) bags, Plastic bottles and Plastic chairs are made of thermoplastics, hence,  can be recycled. Thermoplastic materials are made of polymers which are linked by intermolecular forces, forming linear or branched structures. In case of thermoplastics, the shape hardens when it is cooled, but can be reshaped when heated up again.

Telephone instruments, Cooker handles, Electric switches and Ball point pens are made of Thermosetting plastics, hence cannot be recycled. Thermosetting plastics are those materials that are made by polymers joined together by chemical bonds, having a highly-crosslinked polymer structure. Thermosetting polymers, once moulded, cannot be softened when heated. They cannot be reshaped.