The best would be any lighter that produces a spark. You do not need the flame just the spark from the lighter to ignite the gas. Therefore even after you run out of lighter fluid you can continue to use the lighter. When I had gas stovetop that was not self-lighting I used a long handled lighter that had run out of fluid.

Matches, period, because I once had a lighter misbehave and I won't take that chance again.

What century are we in? Matches and lighters for a gas stove? My 10 year old stove has a device that lights it. I suspect most stoves sold in the last 20 years have that.

Long plastic lighter, like for lighting a barbecue.

--It hangs next to the stove where it's easy to reach
--I don't have to store or fumble with a box
--My hands are six inches away from the flame at all times

If you want to go low-tech you could get a striker, the kind they use in labs to their version of a gas stove, a bunsen burner.

These are usually all metal, have a handle and use replaceable flints to create a spark without generating excess plastic waste or burning your hand.

An example of one for sale online:

http://www.amazon.com/Hobart-770080-Single-Flint-Striker/dp/B002ACOXQ8

I use a piece of scrap paper. I roll it the long way, use a working burner to light the end of the paper on fire, and then use it to light the burner that's gone out. I like to keep my hands away as much as possible, so this works for me, and I always have a scrap piece of paper around (junk mail works too!). If you have an older stove that is not self lighting, I'd use something else to light the paper on fire.

Just make sure you have water nearby to extinguish the paper afterward :)

Actually that's me asking the question. I was thinking of it out of a green perspective; which product of the two is environmentally friendlier in the long run?

I'm happy that a person like K. Williams is fortunate enough to have such a fine stove that doesn't require manual lighting, but for those of us who live in places where there are ancient stoves this might be interesting to know. By the way, if I had a flat of my own I'd use something completely different, but since I can't choose right now and won't pay for a new stove and certainly won't move to another flat either, this is what I have to live with. Hope you, dear K.W., drop the attitude in future comments.

Sounds like a question for Beth Terry of Fake Plastic Fish: http://fakeplasticfish.com/

My take:

Plastic loses almost every battle. Be it glass or plastic, paper or plastic, etc. It never decomposes (as far as we know) and is made from all sorts of toxic compounds. Our lighters and plastic bottles will have lives that far out live ours.

Matches, on the other hand, are most likely made from wood that is byproduct since it's so cheap. They also decompose.

Chris Jordan has an excellent photo essay on one of the (many) places our little plastic things wind up:

http://www.chrisjordan.com/current_set2.php?id=11

There are plenty of plastic lighters in those bellies.

I would use matches. Use to have an old stove like that untill that one time I got a scare of a lifetime. I saved the money and got a new one. Be very careful and I just hope you live in a single family home bacause I do not want you to be my apartment neighbour.

Matches. The used ones go into the compost pail.

@luftskibet:

"Early gas ovens did not have a pilot. One had to light these manually with a match. If one accidentally left the gas on with the oven door closed, gas would fill the oven and eventually the room. A small spark, such as an arc from a light switch being turned on, could ignite the gas, triggering a violent explosion."

I guess that why pilot lights and electric ignition systems were invented in th 1970s and 1980s.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_stove

I'm certainly glad you DON"T live near me.

Like I said, if I had a choice I'd never use an old-fashioned gas stove. Thanks to those who gave neutral replies.