Chemicals & Environmental Concerns

[GeneW]

I've tried to read the sheets from Kodak and Ilford but I'm not a chemist and I don't fully understand how acceptable or not it is to pour B&W chemicals down the drain. Rodinal, D-76, HC-110 in dilute amounts -- should I continue to dump or should I be collecting the used developer in a container to take to a special processing place.

And what about fixer? I use plain ol' Kodak Fixer.

I'm on a city main, not a septic system.

Advice and discussion appreciated ...

Gene

 

[taffer]

Very interesting question Gene, I was thinking on that the other day as I had to dump my fixer (Agfa), read the instructions and they tell you to dilute it A LOT before pouring it down the drain. I took a big bucket, filled it with water and poured in about 1/4 of the bottle, repeated four times.

Even with that dilution, the fixer smell could still be noticed.

Don't know about developer though...

 

[Fedzilla_Bob]

I wonder what a good photo lab would do?

 

[Roman]

Well, I'm also active on a German photo lab forum, and there is a guy ther - Franz (incidentally, a user of Russian RFs), who having majored in chemistry, is quite knowledgeable about how to dispose of your dark-room stuff:
Most developers can simply go down the drain, they are mostly organical chemistry; you might want to mix them with your stop bath, or let them sit for a while so they don't need to much oxygen from the water; as for hydrochinone- based developers, Franz said that if you like to eat onions a lot, you are going to dump a lot more of that chemical into your sewer system the natural way...
There are a few developers that have rather unpleasant stuff in their formulas, though - like PMK or PyrocatHD - those should not be dumped into the sewer.
Stop-bath is simply acetic or citric acid - not dangerous.
Fixer should be collected and brought to a collection center - it contains silver, and that WILL harm organisms in the water.
Most toners (esp. selenium) should also NOT be poured down the drain, but collected!

Roman

 

[GeneW]

Thanks Roman. So it looks as if fixer is the main one I need to concern myself with. Even so, I don't think I'll sprinkle Rodinal on my onions 😀

Gene

 

[taffer]

Damn ! I'm better running to stop my fixer before it reaches the sea !!!!!!!

 

[Graybeard]

I suggest that you get a copy of Kodak Bulletin J-300 "Environmental Guidlines for Amateur Photographers. I downloaded mine from the main Kodak website.

It makes a difference wether you are on a municipal sewer or a septic tank, Municipal waste systems use aerobic treatment, a septic tank is anerobic. Kodak states that developers and stopbaths can go into a municipal waste system but not into septic tanks.

Spent hypo is a different matter because of the silver content. The silver can be stripped from the solution by immersing steel wool in the liquid, the silver will be plated out by galvanic exchange. Once stripped, the silver-free hypo can go to the municipal sewer. Kodak makes a flow-through system for the purpose (B&H has them listed) and there are plenty of instructions for homemade systems on the web.

In many places, local government will accept hazardous waste from household sources. That is true in my county which has an annual collection that specifically includes darkroom chemicals.

 

[jan normandale]

Gene this is a topical question. I am on the National Board of Trout Unlimited Canada. We have been actively marking storm drains in municipalities across Canada. The issue is water quality, people dumping petroleum products, cleaners and solvents etc that go right past the municipal waste processing and into the lakes and streams. Similarly septic systems dump into the water table. People are just beginning to become aware of these water issues.

Contact your local municipality for advice, and of course ... read the label!

regards, Jan