proper way to dispose of processing chemicals: I am currently taking a black and white film class and considering setting up my own darkroom. I am looking for advice on how to dispose...

Crad1998

I am currently taking a black and white film class and considering setting up my own darkroom. I am looking for advice on how to dispose of used chemicals . I have had several people tell me you can't just pour them down the drain. Anyone have advice they would like to share.
Thanks

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Not to sound snarky, but why not ask the instructor of your class?

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Here's a Google search result:
https://filmphotographyproject.com/content/2018/11/disposing-photographic-chemistry-exhaustion/

.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

You can also check with your city's Environmental Services group. There are two main problems with photoprocessing from a wastewater standpoint...pH (acidity and alkalinity), which is not likely too big a deal from a personal darkroom, and silver & silver compounds, which are almost always considered a problem. You will have to see what your local government says.

Country Boy Loc: Beckley, WV

I don't know the answer or at least the correct one but you may consider there are public septic systems and private septic services. If you have a private (home owner owned) septic system and you have a well, there is concern that chemicals dumped or flushed could make their way into underground water that could make way to drinking water.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Most communities have a hazardous waste disposal program.

Bobby123

If you're on a private septic system you have to worry about chemicals and silver getting into the ground. If you're on public, pH isn't a problem because the water will be so diluted before it gets to the processing plant. They will have a way to remove the silver but it would be better if you removed it before it goes down the drain. You can probably google a silver recovery company in your area and they can supply a tank. They will then take the tank, exchange it for a new one, and send you any money for the silver they process. My tank looks like a 5-gallon bucket. I use a funnel to pour the chemistry in and it retains the silver. The extra water goes down the drain, hopefully with no, or very little, silver. After the company charges for processing, they send any extra money to me. I hope this helps.

TomV Loc: Annapolis, Maryland

With the quality of cameras, lenses, printers, inks and software nowadays, what is the advantage, other than esoteric, to developing your own film?

Do you remember how pleasant it was to hand crank your Model T before the days of electric starter motors? Aah, those were the days.

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

TomV wrote:

With the quality of cameras, lenses, printers, inks and software nowadays, what is the advantage, other than esoteric, to developing your own film?

Do you remember how pleasant it was to hand crank your Model T before the days of electric starter motors? Aah, those were the days.

Interestingly, darkroom work actually teaches a student how to use a camera. No spray & pray as it's to expensive. One must take the appropriate time to make each shot count. And perhaps even more importantly, there is magic in seeing an image appear in the tray. The whole process is more "hands on" than digital, which is why film and chemicals still sell.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

boberic wrote:

Interestingly, darkroom work actually teaches a student how to use a camera. No spray & pray as it's to expensive. One must take the appropriate time to make each shot count. And perhaps even more importantly, there is magic in seeing an image appear in the tray. The whole process is more "hands on" than digital, which is why film and chemicals still sell.

Before they naysayers come out to talk about how digi can be the same, I'll chime in as a former digi user and now an exclusive film user.

It's....not....the...same.

Period.

Sure, you can talk about how you don't spray and pray and how you make each shot count but it's not the same.

Not only in that aspect is it different but the developing and printing is very satisfying too. It's the "second-half-of-the-process" and no...sitting behind a computer monitor and doing LR edits isn't the same no matter how folks argue that it is.

Ok...now attack. :)

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

rpavich wrote:

Before they naysayers come out to talk about how d... (show quote)

No it's not the same. I did my own B&W darkroom work professionally for many years. I enjoy digital processing more now. No more smelly chemicals, no trying to execute complicated burning and dodging sequences identically for a large quantity of prints, no more reprinting a photo at a different temperature and age of chemicals so it was like starting over again, no more spotting prints, and I can do a lot more on a computer than I could in the darkroom.

Crad1998

I want to develop my own prints because it's a lost art, and because I think it will make me a better digital photographer.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

Crad1998 wrote:

I want to develop my own prints because it's a lost art, and because I think it will make me a better digital photographer.

Awesome.

I wouldn't worry about dumping a slight bit of chems down the drain (as long as you aren't on a septic system) The amount of chems vs water is so low as to be laughable.

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

rpavich wrote:

Awesome.

I wouldn't worry about dumping a slight bit of chems down the drain (as long as you aren't on a septic system) The amount of chems vs water is so low as to be laughable.

I wouldn't dump any quantity of a heavy metal (silver) down a drain.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

JohnSwanda wrote:

I wouldn't dump any quantity of a heavy metal (silver) down a drain.

I know. I know that there are folks who don't and folks who do.

I am one who doesn't mind dumping a slight bit of chems down the drain. If you don't mind and you have some other way you prefer to dispose of them...great! More power to you.