How do you dispose of slides and negatives?

The safest, simplest, and cheapest way of destroying the images is to drop the slide film into boiling water. The gelatine-bearing image layers will quickly melt, slide off the film base into a black gelatinous mass which you discard into normal household waste.

What can I do with old slides and negatives?

How do I dispose of old photo negatives?

Generally, it's not advisable to throw away negatives because you can use them to bring your photo back to life if the picture gets lost or damaged. But if you have no other use for the film, you can try sending them to a local company for recycling.

What to do with unwanted slides?

Slides, unfortunately, require the proper equipment for viewing: A projector and a screen. If you have the slides but no way to project them, it's time to consider converting them to digital as a back-up. Then you can print out the images for a scrapbook or pocket-page album, or create a photo book with the images.

Are old slides recyclable?

Slides and negatives are not recyclable either. You can remove the paper frames of slides off the film and recycle that portion of the slide. Each recycling company can have differences in what they can process. If you want to be sure, check with your recycling service to see what is acceptable related to photos.

Digitize 35mm Slides and Negatives - Slide copying with a digital camera

Can photo negatives be recycled?

Negatives are made from plastic film, so they are not acceptable for recycling. However, if negative photos are to be recycled, they can only be recycled so that they won't take their original features and positions. They could be ground and included in the recycling process for the making of plastics.

Are old 35mm slides worth anything?

Notice to new and old sellers: slides very very very rarely sell for more than 5 or 6 cents each - so starting them out at 10 or 25 cents each is a waste of space and your time. Mom's old slide carousel of travel slides will not sell for $100.00 even with free shipping.

Can photos go in paper recycling?

Q Is it OK to put old photographs in the paper recycling? A No. Much like wrapping paper and the Yellow Pages, photographs cause problems at paper mills. In this case it is the chemicals used in the paper and the thin layer of polythene that coats a photo to stop it going wrinkly when it dries.

What can I do with 100s of family photos?

Do 35mm slides deteriorate?

Your slides are rapidly deteriorating

If moisture gets into the storage box, the slides can develop mold or mildew on the film which can create weird yellow and purple splotches both visible to the eye and on a digital copy. Eventually mold and mild will eventually eat right through the film.

How do you destroy photo slides?

The safest, simplest, and cheapest way of destroying the images is to drop the slide film into boiling water. The gelatine-bearing image layers will quickly melt, slide off the film base into a black gelatinous mass which you discard into normal household waste.

Can old photos be shredded?

Shred it up: As a last resort, try shredding your old photographs and using the remnants as packing material when shipping breakable items. You'll reduce your use of virgin paper and expanded polystyrene packing materials while finding a second (albeit brief) life for your unwanted photos.

How do you destroy old photographs?

I simply rip them up and put them in the bin. Not in the recycling bin, though, because the chemicals used in the printing process mean that old photos have to go in the regular trash that goes to landfill or incineration.

Is there any reason to keep old negatives?

Sharper, richer, better. A new print made from a clean, well-preserved negative will produce a much sharper, better image than a print made from a digital scan of a photo. The negative is the 1st generation version of the image seen by the eye.

What can I do with old slide carousels?

It turns out that Goodwill accepts Carousel trays. It's hard to know what they do with them, but perhaps the plastic is recyclable because it is all known to be a certain formula, unlike mixing miscellaneous hard, black plastic, for example. Slice carousels can be recycled by GreenDisc if you take the metal out.

Should film negatives be saved?

We recommend storing film formats in a plastic preserver like Print File. The Library of Congress has a good online document for the handling of photographs and negatives. In the grand scheme of life, slides and negatives are the keepers of stories and history. Stored properly, they will outlast any digital format.

Can I store photos in ziplock bags?

You think they should be in a sealed plastic bag to protect from moisture and dirt. Well, think again. More damage can actually be caused by sealing family heirlooms in a cheap plastic bag. As it turns out paper items, photographs, film, and tape are all made from materials that change over time.

How do you declutter old family photos?

How do you organize 50 years of pictures?

Are greeting cards recyclable?

Greeting cards and envelopes made of paper are usually okay to recycle. If they are covered in glitter or made from photo paper, those cannot be recycled.

What can I do with unwanted photos?

How do you dispose of undeveloped film?

You can just throw color film, black and white film in your trash bin at home. Once the film has been processed there really isn't that much toxic materials on your film. B/W and color film does contain small amounts of silver in the material after its been processed but the amount is too little to worry about.

How do I archive slides?

How do you scan slides with Iphone?

How do I scan a 35mm slide to my computer?

Most standalone scanners are designed to digitize both 35mm negatives and slides. These units take the slide and project it onto a receptor that captures the image and digitizes it internally. You can pick and choose the slides you want to scan and retain or discard the rest.