Comparing the Environmental Impact of Wooden Matches vs. Lighters
Concerning environmental safety is now a challenging task for every human being, as new inventions and the industrial revolution have made various impacts on the ecosystem.
Focussing on those criteria, Manufacturers have started to prepare the products with environmental concerns or the raw materials will pollute less.
Some business firms still use conventional products that last long periods and do not significantly impact the environment. Here safety matches are one of the environmentally friendly products, and this blog will say how impactful it is when comparing wooden matches and lighters.
Impact of Wooden Matches over Lighters
The usage of safety Matches and lighters creates the impacts from their respective sides, yet the amount of effects created to the environment and human beings is the primary criterion.
The wooden matches are made up of either wood or paper, which causes a slighter impact on the environment. Though wooden matches do pollute by emitting smoke, they are well-biodegradable and easily disposed of.
These matchboxes are to be carefully stricken on the rubbing surface to ignite a fire, but it lasts only for some time compared to the lighters. The making of the wooden matches does involve the destruction of trees, which will lead to deforestation, even though they are environmentally friendly.
Meanwhile, Lighters are made up of plastics and glass and contain fuel, which will cause more pollution and result in excess landfills. They are not disposed of and remain in the land for more years. The quick burning of the lighters will make the process easier, yet the users should use them carefully.
The usage of lighters and matchboxes will depend on people’s usage. If environmental friendliness and safety concerns are the main objectives, Matchboxes are considerable. On the other hand, if convenience and easy usage are primary objectives, lighters are fine.
What causes more impact on comparing each other?
Matchboxes and their impacts
Matchboxes are generally made up of wood or paper, which is a natural resource; however, to extract the wood for requirements, you need to cut down the trees. The more trees are cut, the quicker deforestation will happen. Yet, the usage of matchsticks is more user-friendly and contributes less to polluting the environment.
Another advantage of matchsticks is that they are a natural resource, so they decompose inside the soil without harming the ecosystem. Henceforth, there are very few possibilities for affecting the animals and plants; thus, they do not cause pollution or landfills.
Lighters – Convenient yet hazardous
Matchboxes will have more waste as they may not ignite appropriately, so it will lead to a loss of matches. To meet this requirement, they invented the Lighters, which are convenient to use, make it easier for users, and ignite the fire more easily.
However, there is a darker side to using this convenient product, which will result in higher hazards. These lighters are made up of either plastics or metals and filled with LPG fuel, which helps the lighters to burn more efficiently and uniformly. But once these lighters are used, they will be disposed of. This will result in massive landfills, which will take more years to decay.
Yet the manufacturing of matchsticks involves the destruction of trees; it will be less polluting when they are compared to using the lighters.
Usage of Lighters and Matchboxes
Yet, Matchboxes and lighters have different methods; they are useful in various aspects. Even though they have multiple hazards, they also have some advantages. Here are the benefits of using these duos.
Usage of Matchboxes
Even though the matchboxes are conventional methods, there are various methods of using these matchboxes and several applications are still used with these matchboxes.
–Matchboxes are still used to light the barbeques, larger stoves, and chimneys.
–The matchbox plays an essential role in igniting the candles; you do not need to worry about the fuel.
–The matchboxes will also play an essential role in giveaways, as they can be done by customisation of matchboxes, especially on occasions and functions.
Usage of Lighters
–The active lighters in use have various applications, which will be helpful for different purposes. Here are these features.
–The lighters are generally used for lighting cigarettes, pipes, etc, as they are compact in size and an easy way to light a fire.
–You do not need to waste the matchsticks for inappropriate firing. Just one click is enough to ignite the fire.
Ways to Reduce the Environmental Impact
Both wooden matches and lighters are more beneficial in various aspects, yet there are some environmental impacts. So, the manufacturers should find alternative methods to balance the damage to the ecosystem. Here are a few ways.
As the manufacturer’s cut down the trees to make the matchsticks, they also should take the initiative to plant the trees. Also, they should make the matchsticks more eco-friendly and burn instantly.
Similarly, manufacturers making lighters should focus on the environmental concern as the primary one, as the lighters create more impact on the ecosystem. Yet lighters cannot be abandoned as they will also be more beneficial for various applications. The way to reduce the effect is to recycle the waste so that the material costs will be lower and pollution can also be controlled.
Closure Thoughts
The Matchbox manufacturers manufacture the matchboxes by focusing on the safety of the ecosystem. Accordingly, the matchboxes are made with concern and are easily degradable.
Even though various modern techniques are available to ignite a fire, matchboxes are still in use, as most fireplaces, such as stoves, ovens, chimneys, campfires, etc, are easily ignited by matchsticks.
Matchsticks will be more beneficial to the environment, as you do not need to worry about wastage because of their biodegradable nature, despite the use of lighters causing more hazards to the environment.