If you are a smoker, you may be wondering what's the most ecologically sound way to light your cigarettes. Of course, the most ecologically sound decision you can make is to stop smoking. But if that ain't gonna happen, here's the low-down on lighting.

Disposable lighters are bad. There are over a billion of these sold every year. And they all end up somewhere (never where you need one of course). They are made of plastic and use butane. From a green standpoint, this is the worst way to light your cigarette.

Next up is wooden matches. Wooden matches are made from wood. Not recycled wood. Not good.

A refillable lighter is not so bad. It still uses butane, but it uses very little and it does not generate any waste. If you are using a lighter like this, it's a good choice.

Another good choice is cardboard matches. These are almost always made of recycled paper waste, so that's good. In addition, you can recycle both the used matches and the cover with your paper waste. But if you are not going to recycle the used matches and the cover, you are probably better off going with the refillable lighter.