This document classifies plastics into four main categories: elastomers such as rubber that can be stretched and return to their original shape; thermoplastics like polyethylene and polypropylene that soften when heated and harden when cooled which can be recycled; thermosetting plastics like ABS that harden permanently when heated and cannot be remelted or remolded; and amorphous plastics like polystyrene that have no definite melting point versus crystalline plastics like HDPE that have a structure.