Linda: You should bring a reusable mug. Foam plastic never decomposes.

Linda: You should bring a reusable mug. Foam plastic never decomposes. That cup you’re drinking your coffee from will still be in the landfill in two hundred years!
Jane: I usually bring my own reusable plastic mug, but in the future, I might not have to feel so guilty about forgetting it. I just read that scientists have discovered that they can heat foam plastic to make liquid styrene, which is a certain kind of plastic that bacteria can eat. The bacteria store the carbon from the foam plastic in a form that ordinary bacteria in the soil can break down. The result is that less foam plastic ends up in the landfill; therefore, it’s just as environmentally friendly for me to use this foam plastic cup as it is to bring my own mug.

If Linda wanted to weaken Jane’s conclusion, which of the following, if true, would be her best response?


(A) This special recycling process you describe requires energy, so the reusable mug is still more environmentally friendly.

(B) Many coffee shops switched from foam plastic to coated paper cups long ago, even though the coated paper cups provide less insulation.

(C) You should still bring your own mug with you because your mug provides superior insulation and keeps your coffee hot at least twice as long.

(D) The real environmental problems associated with drinking coffee are in the tropics, where forests are continually being cleared to grow more coffee.

(E) Most coffee shops and convenience stores consider it a refill if you bring your own mug and, therefore, charge only about half as much.