How to dispose of exhausted C-41 chems?

[Bob-D659]

The reason there is nothing that deals with home darkrooms is because it really is a non-issue. The qty of silver you dump down the drain is going to be measured in fractions of parts per billion when it arrives at the sewage treatment plant. They can't do anything with the majority of prescription drugs, including the chemotherapy ones that pass thru a persons system and are discharged into the toilet either, and that is a huge problem for waste water treatment plants.

It's not like you are printing 2000 4x6 prints per day and processing a couple of hundred films per day, which can to be the thru-put of a single mini-lab setup at the local grocery store.

Edit, there even might be enough iron and other chemicals in the sewer pipes to react with most residential home darkroom silver discharges long before it gets to the treatment plant.

[hpulley]

Hazmat is free here. They unmderstand that otherwise people will just dump it unsafely instead.

[jnanian]

The reason there is nothing that deals with home darkrooms is because it really is a non-issue. The qty of silver you dump down the drain is going to be measured in fractions of parts per billion when it arrives at the sewage treatment plant. They can't do anything with the majority of prescription drugs, including the chemotherapy ones that pass thru a persons system and are discharged into the toilet either, and that is a huge problem for waste water treatment plants.

It's not like you are printing 2000 4x6 prints per day and processing a couple of hundred films per day, which can to be the thru-put of a single mini-lab setup at the local grocery store.

Edit, there even might be enough iron and other chemicals in the sewer pipes to react with most residential home darkroom silver discharges long before it gets to the treatment plant.

either way bob-d659

in a lot of places it is against the law to dump some things used as photochemicals down the drain,
whether or not it is measured in part per billion, or million .. or whether it swaps with the iron or copper in
the pipes as it travels to the treatment plants ... whether it becomes dilute or not is not the question ...

the OP is attempting to do the right thing and that should be applauded ...

[MattKing]

John:

I don't disagree about trying to do the right thing.

What I've been trying to make clear is that, while the "right thing" is well defined in our area for things like used engine oil, or old fluorescent light fixtures, or used batteries, or ....

It is poorly or not defined in our area for photographic chemistry, save and except for a portion of the byproducts produced by commercial labs.

[jnanian]

hi matt

i know what you mean ...

your previous post said it all

Personally, I would phone Metro Vancouver with information about the quantities you have in hand

the best advice of the thread !

- john

[Jeff Kubach]

I like to drink the stuff!

Jeff

[AgX]

The reason there is nothing that deals with home darkrooms is because it really is a non-issue.

This very much depends on country, state or municipality. At my place it is an issue and no darkroom chemical waste is allowed go down the drain.

[Dr.Pain-MD]

Hey, everyone. Thanks for all of your input! I talked to another club member who is also trying to find out the same thing. Our club has used chemicals which are picked up by a chemical waste disposal service of some kind and it looks like I should be able to dump my C-41 kit along with it. I'm not sure 100% yet, but I am in the process of finding out.

I like to drink the stuff!

Jeff

While I keep my C-41 chemicals in ordinary 1L pop bottles, I might be tempted to do so, but I don't really think that I should. That and the fact that blix looks a lot like Dr.Pepper.

[hpulley]

I was showing my kids darkroom stuff one day when I used pop bottles. She said the indicator stop bath looked like orange juice. I haven't used pop bottles since, only brown darkroom bottles now. Don't want ANY mixups...

[AgX]

As Dr-Pain he should be used to medical tragedies...