HAZARDOUS WASTE
Waste Minimization Program: Photographic Processing Waste Minimization
The primary waste streams associated with this industry are process bath wastes, bleach, fix, and bleach-fix wastes. Substances of particular environmental concern often found in photo-finishing effluents include silver, cadmium, chromium, and ferrocyanide. However, due to advances in technology waste from developing film can be reduced by switching to digital photography.
Source Reduction
Train all personnel using the equipment on proper techniques. This will help to eliminate incorrect mixing and disposal mistakes.
- Accurately add and monitor chemical replenishment of process baths.
- Use squeegees to wipe excess liquid from the moving photographic material, to minimize contamination of process baths and extend their use.
- Stop water flow when film processing is halted and redesign tanks to convert an existing wash system to a counter-current system, to reduce water use and costs.
- Substitute less environmentally harmful iron-complex bleaches for ferrocyanide bleaches wherever possible.
Waste Procedures
See Hazardous Waste for waste procedures.
- Make sure to have a spare waste container available.
- Tag all waste with the yellow waste tags and label properly and completely.
- Arrange, via the Waste Pick-up Request form from Environmental Health & Safety, to have the waste removed from the lab within 90 days.
- Remember, it is illegal to dump any waste down the drain.