burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

The linked article is a good one! Read and heed.

I worked in a huge, high volume school portrait photo lab for 33 years. We used thousands and thousands of gallons of C-41 and RA-4 chemicals (and prior to 1999, B&W chemistry as well). We processed miles and miles of film and paper every day. Of course, we reclaimed hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of silver every year. We had a three-stage electrolytic silver reclamation system. It paid for itself many times over, and it kept both the EPA and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg environmental services people happy.

Home users don't have the same issues... UNLESS they have a septic tank system.

As a teenager in the early 1970s, I unknowingly killed off the bacteria in my parents' septic tank by dumping all my used darkroom chemicals down the drain. That was after a particularly long session of film developing and printing to meet a yearbook deadline. The tank stopped working a week later.

They had to have the front yard dug up, the septic tank opened, the sludge vacuumed out... After that, I would put a double dose of Rid-X in the drain after pouring diluted chemicals into it. The septic tank service company said there was almost no bacterial activity in the tank when they opened it. My Dad asked them about my hobby chemicals, and they said that they had a history of cleaning out home darkroom-damaged tanks.

Blair Shaw Jr Loc: Dunnellon,Florida

Thanks Linda.......many of us with septic systems have always had these fears in the back of our minds and your link on how to dispose of the various hobby level chemistry items was very helpful and explanatory. Dilution is the Solution. And on a secondary note : Adequate Ventilation of Sulfurous Gases from a closed dark room is an underspoken topic and should be addressed when working in tight areas with any chemicals.
Thanks again


Jimbo

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

The aesthetics and craftsmanship of analog/chemical vs. digital is not the question here but from an environmental standpoint, digital wins out.

There was a time when the disposal of photographic chemistry was more of an issue. There were high production photo-labs for consumers and professionals, may photographic studios had black and white darkrooms and color labs on their premises. There was an enormous proliferation of the MINI-LAB- they were omnipresent! There were free-standing operations and those in camera stores. Not only were the many full-time mini-lab operations but there were companies that sold self-contain kinda second rate color processing machinery to other business such as dry cleaners, convenience stores, and general stores and some of these folks did not really know what the were doing, photographically or in the area of environmental safety. Add to this, the many hobbies and independent professionals with a darkroom in their homes and there could be serious issues and strict regulations in some municipalities.

Cumulatively, that' s a whole lot of potential pollution! Nowadays most of this is gone. If there are any big lab still operating, they usually incorporate silver recovery in their processing routine. Fixer and bleach-fix are filtered through devices with recover the silver and the remaining chemistry is neutralized prior to disposal. This produces profits from the recovered silver and prevents heavy-metal pollution. Some labs just save up their spent fixers and outsource the service. In some locals, there are other regulations as to the disposal of other photographic chemicals that contain alkalis and other potentially toxic, corrosive or polluting components. Usually, neutralization and dilution is sufficient.

For the home darkroom hobbyist, the issues may not be as critical in that the quantities and frequency of disposal are not sufficiently significant or hazardous to cause concern. The alkaline content of common drain cleaner is far more corrosive and toxic than the developers. The acids in stop baths and fixers are not all that much stronger than vinegar and some cleaners. Much caution, however, should be taken if well-water and septic-tank systems are in use. Harmful chemicals can enter the water table and impair septic tank performance. In may be necessary to save up old chemistry and periodically bring it to a hazardous materials disposal site. Never leave any of this stuff in garbage bins, at the curb or where they can be accessed by children.

Years ago, some advanced amateurs and professionals would mix their own chemical form scratch formulas. Oftentimes this required the dilution of very concentrated acids. If you are not dealing with massive quantities of chemistry this does not pay off and not worth the risk of dealing with adn storing highly corrosive substances.

If you are not familiar with the harmful effects of photographic chemistry as to personal safety, it is important to read the warnings and poison control notices on the containers. Most packages and bottled prepared chemicals are usually not extremely corrosive or toxic but they can cause allergic reactions, dermatitis, minor burns, serious eye damage and the should never be accidently ingested. A good darkroom apron, eye protection, surgical gloves, and good ventilation are musts. If you are an advanced worker and get into the use of bleaches, especially those containing Potassium Ferrocyanide or intensifiers such as Chromium Intensifier, make certain to carefully read and observe the safety information packaged with the products or access them on online. Certain toners can be very toxic and selenium toner can get into your system through the skin- use gloves! Some tones have extremely pungent odors and may bring on complaints from family members or even the neighbors. Don't flush Photo-Flo solution or other wetting agents down the toilet unless you want to turn your entire bathroom into a bubble bath. You don't want yourself or you hobby to fall out of favor in you home or community. You don't want fines for contravening local regulation or bylaws pertaining to hazardous materials- check with you loca athourites just to make sure- I don't expect any issues but some old regulation may still be on the books form the film days!

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

You don’t have to justify yourself to those who pretend to be qualified to tell you how to enjoy photography.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

By the way. There is/was something special about traditional silver/analog/chemical darkroom work. There was a certain level of artistry, craftsmanship and science and in many cases the results were quite unique and can never be simulated in other technologies and methodologies.

After making a transition into digital, especially by demand in my commercial business, I did keep my old darkroom in service for quite a long time. I had 3 darkrooms, one for film processing, one for black and white printing and a complete in-house color lab including an 8x10 enlarger-I took 6 guys to deliver it and I had to reinforce the floor!

Two situations led to the closure of theses facilities. As the demand decreased, the business of maintenance of chemistry and othere quality control systems became impractical. Especially in the black and white department, films and papers as well as some of the chemistry began to disappear at a rapid rate. Warm-tone, double weight (chlorobromide) warm-toen papers, suitable for traditional portraiture, just about vanished as well as all the great surface textures. Parts and service for our processing gear began to diminish. At one point I purchased a complete old processing machine just for parts! So... at one point in time I had to cut the cord. All I can do now is use whatever aesthetics I learned over the years and apply as much of it as I can to digital production. It ain't exactly the same but it's close. I can still dodge and burn my head off and control contrasts and density.

So what's next? People are gonna start to complain that there are too many computer cadavers and dead digital cameras in the landfill and the ocean and printer ink is gonna surely lead to armageddon!

For a guy who spent half my life in a chemical darkroom, I'm lucky I ain't dead yet!

User ID

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Amen to that.

We sell old film SLRs to several classes of photo students
every september. It's bidnez, but it's also a joke. There's
those several instructors to whom it represents their job
security ... that they know and teach the arcane skills of
obsolete technology, and how to [GASP] thread up a roll
of 135 film. They are true descendants of the prehistoric
priesthood who convinced their tribesmen that the priest
made the sun come up and the rain to fall.

Can't say that a semester of film and enlarger use is not
teaching the students photographic skills. But I CAN say
it wastes their time, taking 15 weeks to learn 4 week's
worth of basic photo skills.

The central learning/teaching tool when I was in school
was Polaroid film. Very expensive but the feedback from
your photography was immediate, so the lessons were
learned in real time. Somebody is gonna say we were
deprived of darkroom lessons. If such somebodies were
not taught to plot and read H&D curves, then any such
somebodies need to put up or shut up.

Bottom line is that digital cameras eliminate the need
for expensive Polaroid film, and free the student from
the large and expensive cameras that could use it [cuz
all commercial-use Polaroid film was large format film].
Film use can teach you photography but digital will do
it faster and better. Digital is the new Polaroid.

.

One Rude Dawg Loc: Athol, ID

ecurb1105

The quantity of chemicals from a home darkroom is insignificant to any large sewer system, pet waste is a much larger issue. Feel free to wash your used chemistry down the drain. I have dumped black and white, E3 and E6 as well as Cibachrome waste since the 1960s.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

I've had no issues with pouring them down the drain, along with a lot of water.
--Bob

Mr Bill 2011 Loc: southern Indiana

I haven't processed any film in over 30 years, but when I did, I just poured the used chemicals down the drain and washed them down for several minutes with cold water.

Rich1939 Loc: Pike County Penna.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

And Amen to THAT.

I grew up with film for 40 years before personally switching to digital. Professionally, I switched to digital technologies a decade earlier. By 2005, digital technologies were the equal of 35mm medium speed color negative film. That was a major pivot point. It was the year my former employer, Herff Jones Photography Division, switched to digital cameras after using many thousands of feet of film each year. I couldn't have been happier, after spending five years guiding the transition on the production floor of the lab. In 2007, we ripped out all the film processors and the mixing tanks for C-41.

2005 was also the year I decided that MOST practical still photography would be digital from then on. Film is still viable, but it is a niche medium like AM radio, vinyl records, rotary dial land-line phones, and printed newspapers. They all still work, too, but few of us care.

k2edm Loc: FN32AD

Tho I haven't bought chemicals in over 20 years, they were at the time marked "for professional use only. This sent up a flag for me, I suspect disposal may be a problem. You may not want to ask...

spaceytracey Loc: East Glacier Park, MT

I remember how I loved the smell. Ahhh...Can't get that w/digital. Also, have never found the digital equivalent to selenium toner. If someone can suggest a program which could give me the same results, call out.

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

For intelligent talk about film, try: https://www.photrio.com/forum/