[pure-silver] Re: disposing of developer and fixer in rural areas
- From: shannon Stoney <shannonstoney@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: pure-silver@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2012 14:07:01 -0500
That's a good idea about the evaporation thing. But, how does it evaporate if
there is a cover on it? I think what you're saying is that there is a space
between the tray and the cover, so that it's kind of like a screen porch with a
roof on it. Is that right?
On Oct 10, 2012, at 1:30 PM, John Bower wrote:
> I too am on a septic system, and I asked a lot of questions, and thought
> about this a lot. Here's what I've decided to do:
>
> I pour the used stop bath into the used developer, which yields a relatively
> neutral pH. Then I pour it all down the drain. In general, it seems no worse
> than many household chemicals that people use, and really isn't that much
> volume.
>
> I'm more worried about the silver in the spent fixer "poisoning" the bacteria
> in the septic tank. So, I made an outdoor evaporation tray to put it in. It
> consists of a wood frame with a large darkroom tray (mounted level), and a
> hinged cover to keep rain out. There's a screen stapled around the perimeter
> to keep critters out. I just pour the spent fixer into the tray and the
> liquid (mostly water) evaporates after a while, leaving some crud on the
> bottom of the tray.
>
> I've been doing this for 10 years and I have my septic tank pumped out every
> three years (a good idea in any case, as preventive medicine) and each time
> it's pumped out I ask the guy if it seems "healthy." I don't know if he can
> tell healthy from unhealthy, but he's always said it seems just fine.
>
> Sooner or later, I will need to do something about the silver-laden residue
> in the evaporation tray. My local recycling center will take spent fixer, but
> they charge more than the cost of new fixer. So, in another 10 years, I will
> mix the residue into some spent fixer, take it to them, and pay them for a
> gallon's worth. If they pass it on to a reprocessor who recovers the silver,
> they will get a good deal because there should be a decent amount of silver
> in it by then.
> --
> John Bower, an Indiana Artisan
> http://www.studioindiana.com/
>
>
>
> On Oct 10, 2012, at 1:34 PM, shannon Stoney wrote:
>
>> I just moved my darkroom to rural TN this summer and now it's ready to go.
>> But I'm trying to figure out how to dispose of used developer and fixer. I
>> have a septic system, and the little bit of research I've done today
>> indicates that I shouldn't just put it into the septic system (according to
>> Kodak). I just called the Solid Waste people here in Putnam County, and they
>> are going to look into it for me, but they didn't really know what I was
>> talking about and I have the feeling they are going to say, "We can't deal
>> with this." So what would be another option?
>>
>> --
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