justin_wall Posted September 29, 2005 Share Posted September 29, 2005 Hello, I'm very interested in developing my B&W film. However I'm concerned about whether or not it is safe for the environment to dispose the chemicals down the drain or would I need to find a company to discard the chemicals for me. If the answer is yes, Is it really cost effective to develop my own film? Or should I just stick to a commercial lab. Any Information is appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill_knippenberg1 Posted September 29, 2005 Share Posted September 29, 2005 Justin, There was a thread about dumping chemicals into a septic tank that appears to have been deleted. I cannot find it and my reply. I would: 1. Contact the company for disposal instructions 2. Ask for a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS); they have to supply it. 3. Contact your county waste disposal or recycling for disposal instructions. 4.Try www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/ for chemical names and synonyms 5. Try www.hazard.com/msds/vermont/siri/flasite for msds Hope this helps Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordan_w. Posted September 29, 2005 Share Posted September 29, 2005 The materials used in B&W film processing are relatively harmless. Used developer can be poured down the drain, as can stop bath. Used fixer can be de-silvered by soaking a pad of steel wool in it for a couple of days, and then it can be poured down the drain. If you are using "industrial quantities" (many gallons per week) then you need to look at commercial waste disposal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James G. Dainis Posted September 29, 2005 Share Posted September 29, 2005 I can't find that previous thread either. Why it has apparently disappeared is beyond me. I certainly didn't delete it. <P> Justin,<BR> Go to the top of this page and click on "Search" and then enter "septic tank" to find a lot of archived information. James G. Dainis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordan_w. Posted September 29, 2005 Share Posted September 29, 2005 This thread? http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00DdIh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
william_john_smith Posted September 29, 2005 Share Posted September 29, 2005 Justin didn't mention that he had a septic tank. Bill gives the best advice, check the local regs, all are not the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James G. Dainis Posted September 29, 2005 Share Posted September 29, 2005 Jordan, <BR>Thank you. The thread was in the B&W film category. I moved it to the more appropriate "Processing - Home" category. <P>The environmental and disposal concerns would be about the same whether pouring chemicals down the drain or into a septic tank. James G. Dainis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig_shearman1 Posted September 29, 2005 Share Posted September 29, 2005 Other than a septic tank, B&W chemicals go straight down the drain including fixer. You're talking a few ounces getting dumped into a sewer system handling millions of gallons. If you're running a commercial processing lab you may run into local environmental regulations on disposal but that's a different story than at-home quantities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill_knippenberg1 Posted September 30, 2005 Share Posted September 30, 2005 This is not meant to offend other posters but the solution to pollution is not dilution or hoping that the water treatment plant cleans it up. If they do not test for that chemical they may not even know it is there and it will get passed on to the downstream users. I feel that In this day and age each of us needs to do our part by properly disposing of hazardous materials. Conversely, if everyone dumps small amounts of hazardous materials down the drain, photo processing chemicals or otherwise, then the accumulative affect would be similar to a commercial operation. It really isn't too hard to find out the best way to get rid of the chemicals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terence_spross1 Posted September 30, 2005 Share Posted September 30, 2005 The most hazardous of the darkroom chemicals I've had I let evaporate into a solid. I now have a couple pounds I don't know what to do with. At my old residence (Monroe County NY where Kodak is) the county provided a residential hazardous waste service where you could go and sign a log and give them a small quantity of just about anything. Actually, I got rid of darkroom chemicals when I went to RIT (I wasn't a photo student) by just going to the darkrooms for the photo students and dumping my chems down their chemical drains. No such service here in Wayne County NY just as it is in most of the country. When I moved in I had a substatial amount of asbestos material to dispose of and the disposal companies apparently wouldn't take it without a ridiculous fee, seems they can't take residential (read non-tracable) waste without extra paperwork filled out, the same or worse for the little darkroom I had at the time also. This same state that has so many records and regulations with steep non-compliance penalties and taxes for disposal of commercial/industrial waste, has nothing for residential person just trying to do his/her part. The asbestos wound up going to the local dump. If you care - help pressure your government to provide residents a way to cheaply dispose of hazards. While used oil can be returned to vendors, Lead Acid batteries can be returned too, Button cells like silver or mercury batteries from cameras as well as Nickle-Cadmium batteries (for example, are taken free by a drop box at the Sears store.) But nothing for the amateur darkroom waste. By the way it seems RIT wasn't treating their waste very well either, they no longer have student photo darkrooms and the school is committed to digital. I'm all for digital -and it helps the environment , but I still think we should be able to responsibly do home darkroom work including souping our own chemistry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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