3.5. How do I get rid of my old chemicals?
Description
This article is from the Darkroom
Work FAQ, by Cees de Groot
3.5. How do I get rid of my old chemicals?
This depends on your local circumstances. If you're connected to a sewage treatment plant, just down the drain with it. The stuff you produce day by day on the toilet puts more load on the system than the relatively small amounts of waste chemicals you collect in your darkroom. It's more hazardous, too, to collect and store large amounts of processed chemicals in order to bring them to a depot (if you have one in your area). If you're unsure whether you're allowed to do this (regulations may vary), contact the guys who process your water - I'm sure they'll be more than happy to give advice.
People have reported no problems dumping chemicals into their septic tank system, although some take the precaution to dump them together with large volumes of water, eg. when the washing machine pumps its water out. If you are not sure your septic tank will survive photochemicals, contact your dealer (at the very least, you've got somebody to sue :-)).
If you cannot or don't want to dump chemicals down the drain, an often-heard advise is to collect it in a large cannister which you leave open in order to have the water evaporate. You can then regularly collect the crystals from the cannister and get rid of them in whatever way you get rid of other dry chemical waste (which all depends on local regulations). Take precautions against spilling or leakage, like storing the cannister in a tray that can hold the volume of fluid in the cannister.
Note that all these rules apply to hobby darkrooms only. If you're a professional, you should contact your local environmental authority and talk to them; most places have strict rules about chemical storage and disposal for professionally-run darkrooms and photolabs.
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