Darkroom Chemicals and Septic Systems

Does anyone have any information on the "do's and don'ts" of disposing

darkroom chemicals (black and white...dev, stop, fix, selenium, etc.)

down a septic system? I recall reading about this somewhere before,

but I can't seem to remember where. (Perhaps an old issue of View

Camera?) I have a friend who is building a large darkroom capable of

producing 30x40 inch archival fiber-base black and white prints, so chemical disposal is going to be a primary concern. Any comments?

Thanks in advance. :)

Hi

<p>

I know there was a thread on this at photo.net. Worth a search there

(http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=000DSx,

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=0003Zb). There

is also some info I found at the Kodak website. The tricky one in the

dev/stop/fix is the fix which has dissolved silver. A muncipal waste

system is supposeed to treat and remove the silver, but with seeptic

tanks, thats not an option. The most convenient option is perhaps to

use a silver retrieval kit (I don't think they are too frightfully

expensive). I've also heard that once you mix all three together, it

makes a good fertilizer! Selenium is a heavy metal and we need to be

responsible about how we discharge this into the environment. The

best option is perhaps to work it to exhaustion. So wait till you

have a set of prints to tone. To be on the safe side, run a few work

prints through it at the end even after you've exhausted capacity.

Please also bear in mind that this is based on the information I have

looked for and come across. Please cross check everything. Hope this

helps.

<p>

DJ

<p>Have you taken a look at Kodak's technical publication <a

href="http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/environment/kes/technical/pdf/J3

00.PDF">J-300</a>, <em>Environmental Guidelines for Amateur

Photographers</em>?</p>

Hi,

Just an addendum to the above comment about Selenium Toner. In trying to introduce as little of this hazardous material into the environment, I have developed my own "method" of use and disposal which greatly reduces waste. Common practice (the one espoused by Ansel Adams) is to mix the selenium toner with a hypo-clearing solution of some kind. This, however, requires that the bath be discarded when the hypo-clear is exhausted and/or too old (which is typically 24 hours!). Instead of this procedure, I transfer prints from the second fixing bath directly into a selenium toning bath mixed with water only, and from there into a normal hypo-clearing soution. This does add one step, but allows the selenium toner to be saved and reused for long periods of time. Therein lies the key to disposing of as little selenium as possible.

I have found that by mixing a solution of Kodak Selenium Toner about 1:9 and replenishing it with undiluted toning solution from the bottle whenever toning times become too long, that I can use the same toning bath for months, possibly years, without discarding. The problem of fixer carry-over seems to solve itself in that a fine black precipitate forms (which I am guessing is formed from selenium attaching itself to the dissolved silver compounds in the carried-over fixer) which can easily be filtered out using coffee filters or the like whenever necessary and placed in a container for appropriate disposal later. I have one gallon of such solution that I have been using for significantly longer than one year without discarding and it seems to work just fine. I have toned literally hundreds of prints with it, replenishing "by feel" to achieve comfortable toning times by adding a few ounces of the concentrated stock solution whenever the toning times get too long. I archivally process all prints, and after toning and washing they pass all the standard tests for residual silver compounds and fixer. I am a little concerned that some compounds may be building up in the toning bath that might have an effect on the longevity of prints, but so far, I have observed no negative affects whatsoever. I only discard the solution when the sludging problem becomes too excessive, and then only after I have worked the solution to exhaustion, i .e. when toning times are really way to long for comfort. Then the solution goes into old plastic milk jugs to await the hazardous waste pickup which takes place only once a year in my neck of the woods. This is possibly a viable method for reducing selenium effluent from our typically low-volume (when compared with photo labs) darkrooms. Any reactions and thoughts from the LF community here??

Regards, ;^D)

Concerning septic tanks specifically, I've read that it is OK to dump

any photographic chemistry down the drain as long as they are

thoroughly oxygenated. To do this you put chemistry in open troughs,

stir every now and then and leave for over 24 hours. Supposedly it is

then septic-safe. According to the spec. sheets that you can get from

any chemical manufacturers as required by the EPA, Indicator Stop Bath

is the most toxic and the most injuious to human health, both through

contact and from breathing. Can't say I've tried this method and I

can't say I even want to because I have already dealt with a septic

crash brought on by non-photographic factors, but this is what I have

heard.

<p>

A man who delivered a Port-A-Potty to my property for use during a

party told me that his company would install a tank for me that would

collect all effluent from my darkroom and haul it. How much? No

clue, we didn't get that far. But it wouldn't be real cheap because

they treat it as toxic waste, as required. It also would never handle

an archival wash. That's all I know. Septic is a problem for

photographers.

I was planning a darkroom in my new house (on a septic

system) until I read this. Are there any other solutions?

<p>

<p>

Information on Septic System Disposal

<p>

Kodak does not recommend the use of septic systems for

disposal of photographic processing chemicals because the

disposal of photographic processing solutions may affect the

proper operations of the septic system. Septic tank systems are

used for the disposal of domestic waste, primarily in areas

where municipal sewers are unavailable. Therefore, they are

engineered for that stated purpose, and operate with anaerobic

(in the absence of oxygen) biological action to accomplish the

treatment of discharged wastes.

<p>

Discharge from septic tank systems may adversely affect

sources of underground drinking water. Regulations have been

established by the federal Environmental Protection Agency

(EPA) and many states to minimize that potential. Your U.S. EPA

Regional or State Administrator of the Underground Injection

Control (UIC) Program and/or local health department should be

contacted to determine whether the discharge of

photoprocessing effluents into your septic system is allowable.

Due to increased enforcement on disposal to Class V injection

wells which include septic tanks, thorough inquiry on the

regional, state or local compliance requirements is advised.

<p>

Other disposal options for your photoprocessing waste include

household hazardous waste collection facilities in your area,

discharge to a nearby municipal wastewater treatment plant, or a

licensed chemical hauler. Household hazardous waste

collection facilities are options only if you generate less than 100

kilograms (220 pounds) of hazardous waste per calendar

month.

<p>

Customers who use KODAK photographic chemicals can also

arrange to have their wastes properly treated and disposed of by

using the KODAK RELAY Program