Photo Credit: idiolector
The BIC® lighter was an ever present item throughout my childhood. I had one parent that was a smoker up until recently. These lighters should be the poster children for disposability. One source threw out the number 1.5 billion per year.
I have four separate uses for matches or lighters in my present home. I need them to light the cooker (that’s what gas ranges are called over here). I occasionally need them to light candles. I sometimes need them to light the water heater (it has a built in static ignition, but it is unreliable). The ignition for the space heater is unreliable and very loud, so I often use a match for that as well.
My bias against plastic led me to make a quick choice in favor of matches. The shop next door sometimes runs out of matches and he generally points out that he has disposable lighters. I say thanks but no thanks and head off to the next closest store.
My recent informal surveys of beach trash reminded me of the issue of disposable lighters. When I started looking for source material on the topic I found that environmentalists say that cardboard matches are a better choice than wooden ones. I have mostly been using wooden matches.
I save a few used matchsticks and I can reuse them once or twice when there is a lit burner on the stove.
It just dawned on me today that there is an even better choice for lighting the stove. I am thinking about getting a torch striker. The gas stove doesn’t need to be lit with a flame. A spark will do just fine.
Update: I asked for opinions on Twitter and I got back some responses suggesting metal refillable lighters as a green option. This seems to make sense. The fuel typically comes in metal containers. I am not sure how much packaging is involved in the flints and the wicks that need to be replaces periodically.