disposal of developer

My developer says on the box not to pour down the drain, but I hear

people doing it. What is the best way to dispose of film developer?

Which film developer?

ID-11

Most amateurs just pour everything down the drain, unless they have a septic tank, and the environmentally conscientious ones save it all up and take it to a proper disposal station. Most towns of any size have one.

I don't remember what ID-11 package said regarding its disposal, and if it says not to discard to the drain, I wonder what they mean. The environmental impact would be much less than drain clog opening chemical, dishwasher detergent and some cosmetics/hair dye/pesticider etc. True, XTOL-like developers impose even less impact, but ID-11 I think is safe to let go down the drain.

at school, i've been told to dump developers down the sink and save the fix for more formal disposal.

The amount that you dump down the drain is so small compared to what reaches your sewage palnt that the dilution factor would be in the millions to one. You couldn't detect it in a lab analysis. And it has no effect whatsoever on any standard treatment regime such as activated sludge or trickling filter. Not even biologocal contactors feel the impact. This holds true for fix as well. The reasoning behind the label instructions is that the manufacturer is responsible for the chemical from cradle to grave. It is their way of mitigating any future actions stemming fromt he use of their product. John Sexton for example has always been on a septic system and he uses lots of chemistry. No harm so far. ost of the chemicals that make up standard black and white chemistry are biodegradeable at some point. but the bottom line is that the dilution ratios are so great that it has no impact whatsoever on the environment. Oh by the way, I work as a wastewater treatment plant supervisor and have for over 30 years. Our lab runs tests that measure into the parts per billion and photographic chemicals are not of any concern to us. Unless you are a commercial operation where you are required to keep records of all chemicals used and their disposal. james

Could you fill me in on where you are finding this information on the box? I checked a current production box, and found nothing pertaining to not disposing down a drain.

 

Looking at the MSDS, it states:

Unused and spent solutions may be allowed to be discharged to sanitary sewer by permit IF allowed by local regulations. Consult your local authority for advice.

 

In general, the amounts used by amateurs is small enough that most regulations allow for its disposal without permit. Unless you are a large volume user, or on a septic system, you should have no issues with disposing of working strength developer down the drain.

 

David Carper

ILFORD Imaging, USA

No scientific studies have been done on the safety of home *septic* disposal, so one proceeds at their own risk.

 

In regards to John Sexton, a friend and I both smoked 2 packs a day for 25 years and we're still alive, therefore its safe