[Frameworks] old film

[Jonathan Walley]

Hello Frameworkers of the world,

This question isn’t exactly on point, but I’ll try. Someone I know has what she calls “old film,” including 16mm and 35mm still negatives. By old, she means old enough to possibly be nitrate-based, but it might be acetate. Or it could be a mixture of both. She says that they are deteriorating badly, to the extent that they are likely beyond rescue. What she wants to know is whether there are any special rules or guidelines for disposing of this stuff safely. She’s wary of just tossing it in the trash. Any ideas about this? 

Apparently some members of her family worked for Kodak way, way back in the day, which is how she’s come into possession of this stuff. I told her I would reach out to some folks in the know and see what I got back. So I’m doing that here and now.

Thanks in advance for any ideas. You may contact me off-list at the above email, or I guess we could keep this on list.

Best,
Jonathan

Dr. Jonathan Walley
Associate Professor and Chair
Department of Cinema
Denison University
walleyj at denison.edu