Silver management

Why silver?

Silver is used in many industrial processes but primarily in photography. Silver is a component of film that makes it possible to take a picture. During processing, silver is removed from the film by the fixer solution. This process occurs with consumer-based film and commercial films such as x-rays and microfilm.

Like other metals, silver is an undesirable component of wastewater. To protect the environment, WEP and wastewater treatment plants across the country limit the amount of silver that can be discharged in wastewater. WEP's limit is 1 part per million (ppm, the same as 1 mg/L).

Most businesses that discharge silver to the sewer system in Onondaga County are very small, but there are many of them. We estimate that as many as 1300 small businesses discharge silver. Because there are so many small dischargers, permitting and monitoring each one would be excessively costly and require a large staff to implement.

Silver in the environment can be harmful to life, and it must be managed.
In addition, the environmental effects of mining can be reduced
by increasing the amount of silver that is recycled.
Silver recovered from photographic wastewaters
using an electrolytic process
is greater than 90% pure and is easily recycled.

The silver Code of Management Practices

The silver CMP is a set of standard operating procedures that are intended to reduce the amount of silver discharged to wastewater treatment plants and the environment. It was developed jointly by wastewater treatment professionals from the Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agency (AMSA) and representatives from the photographic industry, such as Kodak, Agfa, and Fuji, as a practical and easy way to achieve these goals.

The CMP helps businesses and local communities save both time and money. It gives businesses and treatment plants an alternative to regulation of silver based solely on absolute compliance with numerical limits. Large businesses may even realize a return from the sale of recovered silver.

Benefits of the CMP

The CMP gives users the incentive to optimize silver recovery, water conservation, and pollution prevention—thus improving their economic return and reducing the likelihood of fines, shutdown, or the need to relocate their businesses. Specifically, implementation of the CMP can result in:

Improved selection, operation and maintenance, and monitoring of silver recovery and management systems
Increase in the amount of silver recovered and recycled
Reduction in the amount of silver discharged to treatment plants and the environment
Reduced administrative burdens and compliance costs for treatment plants and dischargers
Increased understanding and implementation of basic pollution prevention practices by silver dischargers.

Resources

More information about the Silver CMP and about silver itself can be found on the Silver Council's web site.
For additional P2 information, please contact Dave Colbert, 315-435-2260.