Matches vs. Lighters for Candle lighting

Are Matches Better For The Environment?

It can be difficult to measure how good something is for the environment because there are a lot of factors to consider.

Let's look at two of the major ones:

• Creation

• Disposal

Let’s start with creation.

Matches are made from natural materials, which is generally considered a good thing. Making them does require trees to be cut down, but a single aspen tree can supply about a million matches. Many matches are harvested from sustainably grown aspen trees, which makes the impact less significant.

By contrast, lighters involve the creation of plastic, which depends on the petrochemical industry. They tend to be non-reusable and around 4 million disposable lighters are sold globally every day.

So, neither matches nor disposable lighters are perfect, but matches can be much better if the trees are farmed responsibly and replaced. Lighters, dependent upon plastic, petrochemicals and gas, are not.

Are Matches Easier To Dispose Of?

Matches are much easier to dispose of than lighters, yes. They are made mostly of wood, while lighters require plastic, metal and gas. Wood can just be composted when the match is spent and it will break back down into natural particles.

Plastic lighters, however, will not break down and are destined for landfills when they no longer work. They are a big environmental issue. 

There are photos of them in the stomachs of deceased birds and other animals and they are going to remain a problem for the world long after they become useless. They cannot be easily recycled and they will not disappear with time.

It’s clear that matches are better from a disposal perspective, they will break down and they are less harmful to animals and the planet.

It’s best to look at the country of manufacture when buying matches because in some countries that produce matches do not abide by good labor rights, so choose ones that were manufactured in the United States.