[CLClist] Discarding Microfilm State Laws and Disposal Companies

[Jane Cullinane]

My research says that film is not toxic. It may have enough silver to be of interest to a scrap film buyer or it can go to the local landfill.

I got an email yesterday from Tom Metzner at the state DEP, who says film contains trace amounts of mercury but not enough to make it hazardous. Otherwise, he is not aware of any other toxic material that would necessitate film being managed as a hazardous waste.
 
Kodak's website says that their films were tested by the EPA and are not "hazardous waste" per federal regulations. It can go to the local landfill, unless there is a state or town law on the subject, and I am not aware of any state laws on the subject. See p. 3 of The Regulation of Silver in Photographic Processing Facilities at
http://www.kodak.com/global/en/corp/environment/kes/pubs/pdfs/J214.pdf  
and: Traditional Photographic Films : Film Disposal [and] Film Recycling at
http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=4241&pq-locale=en_US
[and] FAQ Do I need a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for film and
paper? http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/support/faq/#preprod17 

Perhaps there is enough silver on library microfilm to interest one of the scrap film buyers at http://www.kodak.com/eknec/documents/bd/0900688a801a50bd/KES60_ENG.pdf

I hope this helps,
--Jane C.

Jane F. Cullinane
Preservation Librarian, Collection Management Unit
Connecticut State Library
231 Capitol Ave., Hartford,  CT  06106-1537
860-757-6524, fax: 860-757-6559
jcullinane at cslib.org     http://www.cslib.org

>>> Anita Barney <abarney at brookfieldlibrary.org> 4/17/08  12:27 PM >>>
The Brookfield Library is in the midst of dealing with this.  Microfilm is considered hazardous waste, and can't be thrown in the trash.  Most municipalities participate in hazardous waste collections, although I don't know if Bridgeport would be willing to 
take the university's films.  In our area, Charter Communications is willing to include it in their collection of discarded videotapes -- at 30 cents/pound.  That's actually less expensive than the town collection.

At 12:11 PM 4/17/2008, asicari at bridgeport.edu wrote:
>Hello everyone,
>
>Has anyone been involved in discarding their Microfilm collection? If so,
>do you know of any state laws regarding their disposal (due to toxicity),
>or what companies in the state will aid libraries in disposal?
>
>Thanks for the information,
>
>Andrea
>
>Andrea Sicari
>Instruction & Information Literacy Librarian
>Wahlstrom Library
>University of Bridgeport
>126 Park Ave., Bridgeport, CT. 06604
>Email: asicari at bridgeport.edu 
>Phone: 203-576-4753
>_______________________________________________
>CLClist mailing list
>CLClist at ctlibrarians.org 
>http://lists.ctlibrarians.org/mailman/listinfo/clclist 

Anita R. Barney
Library Director
The Brookfield Library
182 Whisconier Road
Brookfield, CT  06804
203-775-6241  /  Fax 203-740-7723
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