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Thread: Darkroom waste disposal?

  1. #1
    Blair N. Blair Ware's Avatar
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    Darkroom waste disposal?

    I recently met a photographer who claimed that standard darkroom waste chemicals, when mixed together, make great fertilizer for the lawn. How close is he to the truth, and is this an environmentally friendly thing to do, especially when silver is a "heavy" metal?

    I live in an urban setting and am wondering how to safely dispose of my darkroom waste (including some sort of practical silver recovery). Any suggestions will be appreciated.

    Thanks.

    Blair

  2. #2

    Re: Darkroom waste disposal?

    I wouldn't put it on my lawn but most darkroom chems are not nearly as bad as many other things we flush down the drain such as bleach and detergents.

    For silver recovery I went to Wal-Mart and for a few bucks got a gallon "Sun-Tea" jar. It is made out of glass and has a plastic spout towards the bottom. I then filled it with cheap steel wool. Then I put in my used fixer and wait for a few days to a week. The silver ions will swap out with the iron in the steel wool and will collect at the bottom of the jar as a black sludge. This sludge will have a lot of silver in it, but it will no longer be silver ions and will be pretty harmless. As it will be in metallic form.

    Then I sit the whole thing on the side of my sink and open up the spout. I use a coffee filter to filter out any grit as I don't want it gunking up my pipes.

  3. #3

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    Re: Darkroom waste disposal?

    I know your question wasn't about chemicals per se...

    A photographer I know used to have the print washer drain tube connected to a long garden hose that went from the darkroom to the backyard lawn. She said it helped water and didn't kill anything.

  4. #4
    multiplex
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    Re: Darkroom waste disposal?

    is there a lab near you ?
    it more than likely has a recovery system firmly in place
    since their effluence levels are regulated with limits of ppm strictly enforced
    if you approach them, more than likely they will allow you to just drop off some of your waste in a 5 gallon bucket.

    if you are really interested in learning what is allowed and not allowed
    where you live, you can always call your local authorities. everyplace has their own
    regulations. where i live discharge limits are LOW and strictly enforced ...
    where you are it may be different ...

    good luck!

    john

  5. #5

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    Re: Darkroom waste disposal?

    Quote Originally Posted by jnanian View Post
    if you are really interested in learning what is allowed and not allowed
    where you live, you can always call your local authorities.
    Call from a pay phone and don't give them your name.

  6. #6
    Blair N. Blair Ware's Avatar
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    Re: Darkroom waste disposal?

    Thank you all for your advice. I'll be hanging on to my fixer in the short term and looking for a long term solution. My grass will be safe.

  7. #7
    sepiareverb's Avatar
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    Re: Darkroom waste disposal?

    Your local college may have a silver recovery unit in use.

  8. #8

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    Re: Darkroom waste disposal?

    One option is to use environmentally friendly chemicals. Silvergrain has been formulated for biodegradability.

  9. #9
    ki6mf's Avatar
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    Re: Darkroom waste disposal?

    I second Toyon. If your stop bath turns purple some people dump it down the drain, An environmentally School in Boston does this. The issue is silver recovery in the fixer.

    Silver Magnet is still available as some stores

    http://porters.com/Merchant2/merchan...Category_Code=

    Kodak has a PDF that may shed some light i dont know if these are still available
    http://www.kodak.com/eknec/documents...e4/J200_en.pdf
    Wally Brooks

    Everything is Analog!
    Any Fool Can Shoot Digital!
    Any Coward can shoot a zoom! Use primes and get closer.

  10. #10

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    Re: Darkroom waste disposal?

    The local municipal recycling center here takes photo chemicals. Perhaps near you as well.

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