[jnanian]

I just dump my stop bath, but I collect the fixer and take it to the the "Household Hazardous Waste" collection center in Columbus. The silver in the fixer is not good for the environment. I've heard that it's not really an issue in the quantities that amateurs use, but I take mine in anyway. Fixer and selenium toner. I have known some folks to extract the silver from their used fixer. It can be sold, but I don't know who buys it.

hey there

there is a plastic bag included with every magnet sold, it has an address on it and is a refiner
who weighs out the silver and gives users about 90% of the spot price * the weight of the silver on the cathode.
in canada there is also a refiner and in the uk that both work with magnet-users ( and i am sure anyone else who has silver to sell )
the thing that makes the magnet easy is that it isn't just a sludge mixed with other stuff, but its silver that is electroplated onto
a cathode, so it is pretty pure ... if you look in the business listings / yellow pages near where you live under electroplaters
or refiners, you might find a place near you that would be interested in the extracted silver from your fixer ... you won't get rich
but after a while it might pay for a few boxes of paper or rolls of film or maybe gas for your car ...

good to hear you have a "waste-plan"

have a nice new year !
john