Lighters come in handy on various occasions, whether you need to light a cigarette swiftly, melt some envelope sealing wax, or ignite the candles on a birthday cake. A lighter is the easiest and most reliable way to do it. A lighter is small enough to carry around. It can easily fit in a jeans pocket in addition to fitting in the palms.
This means that a typical adult uses a ton of lighters in a year. The simple act of throwing your lighter into the bin when it’s nearly out of fluid is something we often do naturally. This disposal method is unsafe for humans and the environment. It is necessary to ensure that you dispose of your lighters properly.
How Can I Safely Dispose of My Lighters?
Lighters contain flammable substances that may become harmful if thrown away with regular household rubbish. The discarded lighter can combust even if it still contains a minor amount of lighter fluid.
Recognizing your obligation to the environment is important; dispose of it properly. This article will explore how to properly dispose of lighters without causing any harm to the planet.
Reuse and Repurpose Lighters
Here are a few ways you can reuse or repurpose your filled lighters:
Save For Later
If you don’t currently need the lighter and merely want to use it for a certain occasion, you can store it in a safe location and use it later; most disposable lighters have a shelf life of more than a year.
This indicates that you may use it for whatever other purpose you want during the year. However, there is every possibility that the liquid found inside the lighter would evaporate. This usually happens if you choose to store it in a dry area. However, if it is safely placed in a drawer or cabinet, rest assured that you will find it the way you stored it.
Give to a Friend
Any lighter with a fluid inside is still usable. If you have a friend who smokes, you can simply give it to them. Lighters are often used weekly by smokers to maintain their habits.
If none of your friends are smokers or you don’t have anyone around that smokes, you can also give the lighter as a gift to someone who works in a workshop or a craft studio. People working in workshops or craft studios require a lighter for various tasks, and perhaps they can use your filled lighter.
Take Your Old Lighters to a Hazard Waste Facility
All lighters contain flammable substances. Contacting a hazardous waste management center when you want to dispose of your fill will help you know how to dispose of it properly. They offer guidance on how to dispose of your filled lighter properly.
However, it is possible that you would be asked to send it over to them rather than discard it in the garbage, which is a very real option.
So if you want to safeguard your environment and yourself, don’t be afraid to contact a hazardous waste management business to help dispose of it properly. If you find it hard to locate a hazardous waste facility, you can search online in the Earth911 database.
SEE: How To Dispose Of Fireplace Ashes
Ways To Dispose Of An Empty Lighter
If you have an empty lighter and you are worried about disposing of it, here are a few safe ways to dispose of an empty lighter without causing any harm.
Trash It in the Bin
You may easily dispose of your lighter once empty because the body is made of plastic and doesn’t contain any flammable or dangerous materials.
Simply toss your lighter into your household trash bin, and place it outside, where your neighborhood waste management company will collect it. Doing this is one of the easiest ways to get rid of lighter.
Bottle Opener
You can use your old lighters as bottle openers. All you need is a lighter made of metal. Place the bottom of your lighter below the bottle cap and use your thumb to press it down while pushing the lighter up to open the bottle, and voila! However, it might take you some time to master this technique.
Turned into a Secret Case
Although you are not a secret agent, there are some things you might want to keep private, like letters, money, or even your prescription drugs. If you are very good with DIY crafts, you can create a secret case to carry your things with an old empty lighter.
The best part is that nobody would know it was a secret case. You can achieve this with an opaque lighter. First, remove the top to gain access, wash it and give it time to dry. You can then put whatever you want to keep secrets in the lighter. After that, pull the cover back, and no one will suspect a thing.
Turn it Into A Fashionable Earring
If you are a fashionista and enjoy creativity, with a simple DIY, you can explore your creativity and make use of an empty lighter to create a fancy earring. All you need is a small tinier size lighter. This will not make them heavy on your ears. A good example is Handmade Real Lighter Earrings on Etsy.
Decorations
You can reuse your empty lighters for decorations. Get some spray paint and use your creativity to design the lighters. Then use some strings to suspend the lighters in the air.
Can You Recycle Lighters?
It is important to know that lighters cannot be recycled. As someone concerned about the environment, you have probably wondered if lighters are recyclable like other household items. However, lighters are not part of the list of recyclable household items because they are made up of different items and materials.
You will find plastic and metal materials in typical lighters, making it difficult to fit into one recyclable category. Most materials used in lighters are difficult to separate. Several recycling centers have given stances on how they feel about recycling lighters, and they advise not to include lighters in your recycling bin.
So, lighters are not recyclable materials, and including them in your recycle bin is creating another problem for recycling companies and wasting your time.
What Are More Friendly Environmental Substitutes For Lighters?
Here are some eco-friendly objects you can use to start a fire, aside from traditional lighters.
Matches are made from wood. So when you use them and throw them away, they don’t cause harm to the environment. They even nourish the oil since they are plant-based materials.
Fire Steel is an imitation of the old method of starting a fire with two stones and is highly reusable. You can check out the Überleben Hex Fire Starter on Amazon.
Rechargeable Lighters are the advanced version of the typical lighter and can be used for longer periods. They are environmentally friendly.
Conclusion
It is natural to throw away lighters in the bin if you no longer need them. However, it is important to know how to dispose of them in the safest way possible to avoid danger and play your part in keeping the environment safe.
