jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Right. I think it's a requirement to have somewhere safe to dispose of hazardous chemicals. I have a place about fifteen miles from my house.

Artcameraman Loc: Springfield NH

Thanks.

rplain1 Loc: Dayton, Oh.

Just google hazardous waste disposal in your area. I live in Dayton, Ohio and we have a site that will dispose of it free of charge. They just require that you label the container so they know what it is. Actually the developer and stopper can be mixed together and then flushed down the toilet. When you mix them they will neutralize each other and there will be no harmful waste. The water from the toilet will further dilute them. The fixer is a bigger problem because of the silver it contains.

St.Mary's

Went to several HAZMAT organizations for info about getting rid of some ordinary gasoline. Without exception the people I spoke with looked at me like a tree full of owls.

JBRIII

While there are companies that handle this problem, the cost can be far from cheap. I was a hazardous waste advisor and costs were often higher than the cost to buy the stuff. Rules for home owners and companies are very different. I live in a rural area and would have the same problem, I formerly lived in Howard county, MD and they took just about anything every Saturday. Do not dump into a septic system and do not dump in some out of the way place (Federal violation). Check with your county and see what they say.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

NOT!

JBRIII

VERY, VERY, TRUE!

I also disagree with burial, most of the chemicals put in drums in the ground will last as long or longer than radioactive materials, they just sit there waiting to be disturbed by some future event. We need to recycle stuff or quit using it.

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

I wonder if the fellows that "cook meth" are as environmentally conscience as our photography folks..?

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Photo labs have silver recovery systems that do two things to keep them in compliance with the EPA. First, they use an electrolytic silver recovery device that removes silver from used fixer, color bleaches, and wash water. Then they dilute the remaining solution with water and flush it down the drain at a slow rate.

The silver recovery is the most important part of disposing photo chemicals. Dilution is the second most important part.

Silver is a poisonous and valuable heavy metal, so silver recovery returns a LOT of money to labs when they recycle their recovered silver flake. At the lab where I worked, we recovered several hundred thousand dollars worth of silver each year! (It was a LARGE high volume school portrait lab.)

Even small amounts of used fixer can kill all the good bacteria in a septic tank, so if you have a home septic tank system, don't flush used fixer! I learned that as a teen, working in a home darkroom at my parent's house. We had to have the front yard dug up, the septic tank opened and suctioned out, and replenished with starter bacteria. That cost almost two thousand dollars in 1970! I took used fixer to a local photo lab after that. It went into their silver recovery system.

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

How much of this stuff do you have and specifically, what does your "stash" consist of?

Ar the liquid or in powder form?

Here's the story. In my studio, I ran 3 darkrooms and a colour lab We had a service to do silver recovery and dispose of hazardous waste. We had a 25-gallon drum full of bleach-fix- nasty stuff.

So, depending on what you have as to actual hazardous chemical content and the quantity you are dealing with, simply diluting it, neutralizing certain products, you may be able to legally and safely pour it down the drain.

When you ran your darkroom, did you not wash your prints, dispose of spent chemicals, and clean yo tanks and trays?

I would worry if your water supply is for a well or if your drawing is going into a septic tank.

Otherwise, just fill out the forms, arrange for disposal or engage a private company to do the job.

Amadeus Loc: New York

If I remember correctly. Fixer was simply acetic acid. Vinegar. I don’t believe it’s a problem going down the drain. I wouldn’t be too concerned.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Stop bath is acetic acid. Fixer is a (sodium or ammonium) thiosulfate salt. It may contain a sulfuric acid emulsion hardener.

None of those is a problem, but the dissolved silver from the film or paper is an environmentally hazardous waste product.

richardsaccount

All the advice that you have been given is good. You can reclaim the silver from the
fixer by putting a steel wool pad int it.

davidrb Loc: Half way there on the 45th Parallel

Call the cops! They are usually up to speed on such information.

TheShoe Loc: Lacey, WA

You mean to say that the drums will not rust?