Most disposable plastic containers are now labeled with a code number (from 1 to 9) indicating the type or quality of the plastic. Plastics with the lowest code numbers are the easiest for recycling plants to recycle and are thus the most likely to be recycled after use rather than dumped in landfills. Plastics labeled with the highest numbers are only rarely recycled. Consumers can make a significant long-term reduction in the amount of waste that goes unrecycled, therefore, by refusing to purchase those products packaged in plastic containers labeled with the highest code numbers.

Which one of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the conclusion above?

(A) The cost of collecting, sorting, and recycling discarded plastics is currently higher than the cost of manufacturing new plastics from virgin materials.

(B) Many consumers are unaware of the codes that are stamped on the plastic containers.

(C) A plastic container almost always has a higher code number after it is recycled than it had before recycling because the recycling process causes a degradation of the quality of the plastic.

(D) Products packaged in plastics with the lowest code numbers are often more expensive than those packaged in the higher-numbered plastics.

(E) Communities that collect all discarded plastic containers for potential recycling later dump in landfills plastics with higher-numbered codes only when it is clear that no recycler will take them.

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I would like to present my reasoning against choice C.

Imagine a customer is looking at a shelf and he/she has 2 options.

Option 1: Choosing a plastic container with code number 1
If he/she chooses this option, this particular container is likely to be recycled and not go in a landfill
Thus,
Recycling : +1
Landfill : 0

Option 2: Choosing a plastic container with code number 9
If he/she chooses this option, this particular container is likely to go to a landfill.
Thus,
Recycling : 0
Landfill : +1

Now as stated in choice C, the plastic container AFTER usage becomes code number 9 and hence will likely go to landfill.
The final score will be

Recycling : +1
Landfill : +1

Had the customer chose Option 2, the score would have been

Recycling: 0
Landfill: +2

Hence, as you can see, the customer choice IS making a difference. That's exactly what the conclusion is saying. While I agree that the impact may not be "significant" , but then it depends on the number of customer buying these plastic containers as well.

IMO B

Conclusion: Consumers can make a difference by refusing plastic with high number.

B undermines the conclusion since if people are unaware, how will they choose

I chose D at first but I think the right answer is C ,

According to 'c', higher numbers mean it's already recycled. but if customers refuse to use recycled packages, then manufacturers should keep manufacturing new packages. and even after recycling the lower number coded packages, which have higher number now, people would not buy them. with this flow, in a long-term, the total demand for the recycled packages will shrink. Thus 'C' undermines the conclusion.

what do you think?

in many gmat question, B is a common and important pattern for assumption questions. In this question, "many people" is not good enough; thus, B is a trap. C is better.

Anyway, I hardly believe that gmat will include such question on the real exam.

Hi there! I'd appreciate your opinion on this question and perhaps also your view on how likely it is that such a question might show up on a GMAT. In the latest comment I gave my view on the subject, however, I am not completely convinced that this is the correct explanation.
Thanks ahead!