Glow Sticks and their Environmental Impact

By | July 7, 2011

Glow Sticks are widely used to create liveliness in our partying environment. None of us will think about how it is affecting the outside environment. May be some experts raise controversies about these issues but people tend to overlook them as they are doing with the other plastic products. Since these sticks are providing wide range of options, the sticks are more popular to use both for general and occasional uses rather than for its harmful effects on the environment.

The main idea of providing this information is only to make people aware but not promoting anything against, like stopping the usage of glow sticks. Let us discuss whether these glow sticks are eco friendly or not.

If you ask me directly whether Glow Sticks are eco friendly or not, certainly answer is ‘NO’. Coming to the reasons, glow sticks are made using plastic and they contain some non-toxic chemicals. These non toxic chemicals present in the glow sticks do not allow the plastic tubes to be recycled. So, glow sticks are meant for single use. Once they are done they need to be dispensed and that plastic takes more than several years to decompose in the soil, which thereby causes a greater impact on the environment.

Not only the plastic, the chemicals inside the glow stick when spilled out effects the environment by polluting the air. If the Glow sticks are burnt accidentally the fumes released from the glowing phenol pollutes the air and causes air pollution.

These are only few affects of glow sticks on the environment when compared to many other dangerous products, which are damaging the atmosphere.