Wondering how to dispose of old X‑ray films? Learn why they can't go in the trash, how your options compare and how to recycle X‑ray films safely.
Sooner or later, every clinic runs into the same problem. The X‑ray films stored for years in cabinets and boxes are no longer needed, the space is, and nobody quite knows what to do with them. They can't go in the trash, they can't go in the recycling bin, and leaving them where they are only postpones the problem.
Knowing how to dispose of old X‑ray films properly matters more than it seems. Those X‑ray films contain confidential patient information, and they're made of materials that shouldn't end up in a landfill. Handled the wrong way, a simple cleanup can turn into a privacy breach or an environmental violation.
This guide explains why X‑ray film disposal requires special care, compares the options available to you and walks you through the safest solution, step by step.
At first glance, an old X‑ray film looks like a harmless sheet of plastic. In reality, it raises two distinct issues: what's printed on it, and what it's made of. Both explain why X‑ray film disposal requires more care than an ordinary office cleanup.
The first issue is confidentiality. Every X‑ray film identifies a patient. Their name is usually printed on the X‑ray film itself, and the envelope it's stored in often adds a date of birth, a file number or the reason for the exam. In other words, old X‑ray films are health records in their own right, and they remain your responsibility until they are destroyed. A box of X‑ray films left in a dumpster is exactly the kind of breach these laws are designed to prevent, and the damage to a clinic's reputation can be serious.
The second issue is the material itself. X‑ray films are made of a thin PET plastic base coated with an emulsion that contains silver. Sent to a landfill, those materials are simply lost, and the silver compounds can end up in the environment. That's why some jurisdictions explicitly forbid it. In Washington State, for example, the Department of Health states that throwing old X‑ray fims in the garbage or sending them to a landfill is illegal, and recommends recycling them instead.
Rules vary from one province or state to another, but the principle is the same almost everywhere: X‑ray films don't belong in the regular waste stream. The real question, then, isn't whether you should handle them differently, but how.
When it's time to clear out an archive, clinics usually consider one of four approaches. They're not equal, either for your patients or for the environment, and some of them only appear to solve the problem.
The quickest option is to put the X‑ray films in the trash or the recycling bin, and it's the one to avoid. Regular trash exposes patient information to anyone who opens the bag, and sends silver and plastic straight to a landfill. The recycling bin isn't any better. Municipal recycling programs aren't designed to process X‑ray film, and your films would pass through many hands before being sorted out and discarded anyway.
Some clinics choose to shred their X‑rays in-house. It's a step in the right direction for confidentiality, but it creates other problems. X‑ray film is thick and slippery, so most office shredders struggle with it and wear out quickly. When an archive holds hundreds or thousands of films, shredding them becomes a slow, tedious job that keeps your staff away from patients for hours, sometimes days. And once shredded, the X‑ray films still end up in the trash, along with the silver and plastic they contain.
Another approach is to return the X‑ray films to patients before clearing out an archive. It can be a nice gesture, and some patients appreciate having their images. In practice, though, most of them never come back for their films, and the ones left behind still have to be disposed of properly.
The last option is to entrust your films to a company that specializes in X‑ray film recycling, such as Electrometal. The films are collected at your door for free, the patient data is permanently destroyed, and the silver and plastic are recovered. On top of that, you get paid for your films. Of the four approaches, it's the only one that settles both the confidentiality and the environmental issues at once, without adding work for your team, and it's the only one that brings money in rather than costing you.
Recycling is the method recommended by health authorities for X‑ray film disposal, and it's easy to see why once you look at what actually happens to the X-ray films.
A specialized recycler doesn't just store your X‑ray films somewhere or bury them. It shreds, granulates and washes them as part of its process. Once that's done, there's nothing left to read: names, dates and images are gone for good. Your patients' information doesn't simply leave your premises, it ceases to exist.
At the same time, nothing ends up in a landfill. The silver contained in the X‑ray films is extracted, refined and returned to the market, where it can be used again. The PET plastic base is recycled as well and becomes a raw material for manufacturers. Instead of turning into waste, your old archives go back into circulation.
There's also a financial side that many clinics don't expect. Because X‑ray films contain silver, they have real value. That's why many recyclers buy old X‑ray films rather than charging to take them away. Clearing out your archive can bring in some money instead of costing you, while freeing up space that can be put to better use.
Finally, recycling takes almost no time on your end. There's no shredding marathon and no trips to the dump. The X‑ray films are picked up at your door, and the recycler takes care of the rest, so your staff can stay focused on patients.
Recycling your X‑ray films involves five simple steps, most of which take only a few minutes of your time.
For nearly 50 years, Electrometal has helped hospitals, clinics, laboratories and industrial companies dispose of their old X‑ray films safely. Our family-owned business recycles X‑ray films at our two plants in Canada for customers all over the world, from North America to Europe.
The pickup is free, wherever your organization is located. We organize the transport with our logistics partners, so you don't have to find a carrier yourself. And because your X‑ray films have value, we make you a purchase offer instead of charging you to take them away.
Once your X‑ray films arrive at our facilities, they don't leave until they have been fully recycled. Everything is done in-house, with no subcontractors: the X‑ray films are shredded, granulated and washed, which permanently erases all patient information. The silver is then refined and returned to the market, and the PET plastic base is turned into rPET plastic flakes used by manufacturers.
There's no need to let your old X‑ray films take up space any longer, or to wonder whether they're being handled properly. Electrometal picks them up for free, destroys all patient data in-house and recycles every component.
Fill out our online form or give our team a call. We'll get back to you to talk about your X‑ray films and plan the pickup.
