From: Keith Gerling (keithgerling@att.net)
Date: 04/24/02-03:31:35 PM Z
Christine,
Well, I'm no expert. From what I've heard, the Kodak b&w chemistry is
pretty benign, as you've been told. But I think saying that ALL their
chemistry is "biodegradable: is a bit of a stretch. Selenium toner?
Chromium intensifier? Tray cleaner? I don't think so (and, honestly, I
don't know if they even still sell this stuff). In any event, it's the
silver residue that is the problem, and photo labs usually recover silver (I
think).
I don't have much information regarding the neutralization of waste, except
to point you again in the direction of
http://www.bostick-sullivan.com/Technical_papers/gum_dichromate_green.htm
for info regarding dichromates, and to
http://www.bostick-sullivan.com/green/Green.html to read the good news about
Platinum/Palladium.
Others may know more, but I don't think sodium sulfate is a threat. I know
nothing about ammonium thiocyanate. And I doubt if you're dumping very much
gold chloride!
I didn't mean to alarm you. Good luck, and thank you for being sensitive to
the environment.
Keith
-----Original Message-----
From: acolyta@www.napc.com [mailto:acolyta@www.napc.com]On Behalf Of
epona
Sent: Wednesday, April 24, 2002 11:41 AM
To: alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca
Subject: Re: environmental question
Hi Keith,
I guess I need to do research on city sewage systems. I am guilty of
assuming
that if all the photo labs I've been in just dump stuff down the drain, then
it must be getting cleaned up somewhere by somebody. I am encouraged by
Bill's post about the GYF saying their chemistry is biodegradable. Can you
tell me where I can find information on the methods of neutralizing waste
products? I am particularly interested in sodium sulfate, gold chloride,
and
ammonium thiocyanate at the moment. Since sodium tetraborate is common
borax,
I am assuming that's okay to dump?
Maybe I should start clearing my Polaroids in Coca-Cola.
Many thanks,
Christine
Keith Gerling wrote:
> Christine,
>
> The digital route is very environmentally friendly, as long as you use
> rechargeable batteries.
>
> As for your concerns about the clean-conscience dumping of chemistry into
> the middle of nowhere, I fail to see how that is any different than
dumping
> it into a city sewage system: your waste winds up in the environment
> anyway - with the advantage that its eventual resting place will be
further
> away from where you live, breath, and drink.
>
> With some degree of expense and inconvenience, users of silver and
> dichromate-based processes have at their disposal methods that can be used
> to reclaim or neutralize the waste products. I've always felt that
> cyanotype was the friendliest of the chemical processes. And then there's
> always anthotype...
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: acolyta@www.napc.com [mailto:acolyta@www.napc.com]On Behalf Of
> epona
> Sent: Wednesday, April 24, 2002 8:14 AM
> To: alt-photo-process-l@skyway.usask.ca
> Subject: environmental question
>
> Hello list,
>
> What, in all your esteemed opinions, would be the photographic process
> to leave the least impact on the environment?
>
> Hypothetically, say I lived in a hut in the middle of nowhere. I would
> not, with a clean concience, be able to dump my used chemistry on the
> ground or in my composting toilet or what have you.
>
> Just curious.
>
> Cheers,
> Christine
>
> --
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious.
> It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom this
> emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and
> stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed."
> -Albert Einstein
-- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed." -Albert Einstein
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