Re: [Leica] Effluent disposal

[tedgrant@islandnet.com (Ted Grant)]

RM wrote:

<<<Special warning if you are a pro, using your darkroom for commercial
use. This takes the discussion to an entirely new level. Call and check. At
one time, it was not even an issue, but these days, you might be
surprised at what you find out.>>>>>>>>>

Hi folks,

I have to say up front that I'm as conscious of the environment as anyone
and trying to protect it from the abuse of the past all the time.

That said;

There are times you're better off keeping your mouth shut when it comes to
asking the local municipal bureaucrats for information on dumping your
exhausted chemicals down the drain.

These people, certainly some of them, have no common sense factor in
applying the regulations and are zealots of the worst kind. Once you open
the can of worms of one simple question of dumping your exhausted stuff
down the drain, the next thing you know they are into your house or office
darkroom measuring everything from the air you breath (contaminating the
environment of the city) to measuring the material your pouring down the
sink, to checking the outflow sewers and then they can or will send you a
bill for all their troubles.

And you don't want to see the amount!!!!!!!!!!

Then in turn they'll lay down regulations that your 2 liters of chemistry
must be carted away by truck through a chemical waste disposal company at a
hefty charge to you.

Look, when you're ready to dump your trays, dump them all together and stir
well. Each will kill off the other and then add gallons of water and flush
down the drain with lots and lots of running water. Everything becomes so
diluted, it's dead liquid anyway by this time, and it's gone without any
effect to the environment. Obviously I'm not talking about hundreds of
gallons here, but a tray full of happy snap printing.

We have a situation in this city, if you have a processing lab that has
been in business for a long time before the new regulations and have been
dumping down the drain in this method, that's OK.  However, today if you
are  going to open a new lab the regulations you have to follow are
incredible to the extent that the liquids must be pumped into disposable
chemicals truck and taken to someone elses back yard for dumping. Wherever
that is?

So I'd take heed in calling the local environment office if you are an
amateur and changing only a few quarts of chemistry every once and a while.
You may open the biggest can of costly worms than you can imagine.

Now don't get on my case about not being careful about the environment, I'm
very conscious about it, as I don't even use chemicals in my rose gardens
to  keep the critters from destroying the flowers, I pick them off by hand
and give them an instant lesson of squishy and squeeze. Or washing them off
with the hose.

All the compostable elements of the family go into the compost box and are
dug back into the garden each year.

What I hate are the mental midget bureaucrats who come riding in like
Knights on white steeds with over regulated minds concerned about a couple
of liters of exhausted liquids.

So my advice if you're an amateur, dispose carefully by killing the
chemistry into dead liquid and washing it down the drain well, I wouldn't
call the local enviro-squad or you'll open the worst pandora's box you can
imagine.

Now please don't jump all over me, as it could be completely different
where you live.

ted