Gast
Let’s be honest, our local council depot (street cleaning department) knows all about E (developer) and F (fixer), and takes this stuff off amateurs like me without any fuss and for free.
Pouring acetic acid (stop bath 3%) down the loo doesn’t bother me either, even with leftover developer – salad dressing is worse (and more common). But what do I do with used toner cartridges and other acidic waste???
Given that selenium stinks, for example, it’s definitely not a good idea to flush it down the toilet. To explain to the council cleaning department what’s actually in there, I’d first need to know what happens during the toning process, and whether I’d get more understanding that way...
Enough whinging, any tips?
Gast
As far as I know, the waste disposal company doesn’t care what’s in it. They can’t rely on what customers say – people might tell them tall tales or the truth. And they usually don’t know any better themselves.
Ultimately, the stuff ends up in the same bin anyway, and probably in the same incinerator. So just hand it in, say “photochemistry, private”, and that’s it. Maybe ask them what they’d prefer next time: to mix it all together themselves or have three separate bins.
Regards, Roman
Gast
Hello,
As far as I know, the silver can be recovered from the developer and/or fixer, which means that the city council can use this to fund the disposal of the chemicals.
I would simply mix the toner and hand it in as well.
Rainer
cfb_de
Hello Rainer,
The city waste management department certainly won’t be recovering the silver. Simply incinerating the waste and landfilling the ash residue is far less trouble than adding a silver recovery process to the mix, given the current low price of silver. It’s not worth it at all, especially as the silver content in unsorted waste tends to be virtually zero.
It is only worthwhile for larger commercial enterprises, as this allows disposal costs to be minimised and the discharge limits can only be met by removing the silver.
What you can do for household waste is the following: add a silver-binding agent (e.g. iron wool or sodium dithionite). See
http://www.fotoimpex.de/Technik/Tip_Filmen...ntwicklung.html (I’m not entirely uninvolved in this :-)
This saves you having to take the fixer drum to the hazardous waste collection point. You should still take toner and similar items there, though. I can’t imagine things like selenium ending up in my toilet. See the link above; it also mentions selenium/sulphur toner.
Best regards,
Franz
Urnes
Hello,
It’s the same here: the local waste disposal company accepts photographic chemicals, which are then tipped into a large tank containing waste oil and other hazardous substances and end up being incinerated. However, developers and fixers must be separated, declared and, of course, packed. Which then raises the problem of where to get enough containers. Furthermore, they only accept up to 20 litres; anything more is considered commercial waste. This is what prompted me to take action: “Either you take this stuff now, or I’ll tip the other two containers down the drain right outside your gate!” – That actually did the trick.
To save myself further frustration and hassle, I’m following Franz’s lead. Let the developer oxidise and pour it down the drain, precipitate the silver from the fixer and hand it in at the hazardous waste collection point, then tip the residue away. Toner cartridges also go to the hazardous waste collection point once declared, but those are only in quantities of around 1–2 litres.
Regards, Sven.
Gast
:huh:
We burn everything now too. It used to be collected separately (developer, fixer), but now it’s all mixed together. Stop goes in the same way as the wetting agent.
It’s also better to collect selenium and other toners.
Up to 30 litres, you don’t get asked any questions at all. I usually collect it in 2-litre polyethylene fruit juice containers. It just about fits in an ACP252 2-litre bath.
Best regards,
Fotohuis RoVo
www.FotohuisRoVo.nl
Robert Vonk
Sandra
Hello,
Sorry for bringing up this old topic again, but it’s still relevant...
My question: Where should I actually put wetting agents?
I usually collect used chemicals in the 5-litre canisters that previously contained distilled water.
Incidentally, after moving from Berlin to Brandenburg, I noticed that the process for disposing of old chemicals is a bit different. Whereas in Berlin they always wanted to know whether the bottle or canister contained developer or fixer, at the Brandenburg collection point they simply said, “Just put that stuff over there.” ;) In Berlin, I could take the old canisters back with me after the chemicals had been tipped into large bins there. In Brandenburg, that’s no longer possible, and I’m always on the lookout for new canisters... B)
Best wishes
Sandra
CPD
Hi Sandra!
Can wetting agent go down the drain? It’s really just a special kind of washing-up liquid.
Ask at the chemist’s for Aponorm bottles – they’re surprisingly cheap and come in all sorts of sizes.
Best wishes,
CP
cfb_de
Ask at the chemist’s for Aponorm bottles – they’re surprisingly cheap and come in all sorts of sizes.
But surely not just to send them to the recycling bin after a single use! There are far cheaper options: dental technicians, car garages, building cleaners and the like regularly end up with plastic containers holding 3–10 litres. These businesses are usually quite grateful if you take a few of them off their hands.
As for the wetting agent, I completely agree with you, of course. Nobody would dream of collecting their breakfast washing-up water and putting it in the hazardous waste bin.
Best regards,
Franz
CPD
Hi Franz,
Of course not for the waste collection point – as you can see above, Sandra has the empty distilled water containers from the DIY store for that.
Best regards
cfb_de
Hi Franz,
Of course not for the chemical storage area – as you can see above, Sandra has the empty distilled water containers from the DIY store for that.
Best regards
Stympt. I must have overlooked that somehow.
Best regards,
Franz
Sandra
Thank you all! :)
Best wishes,
Sandra
