(Free Press Release) Concord, NH February 2, 2012—B & D Associates, the leading company in silver recycling, film recycling and medical waste management uses a state of the art silver recycling process to recover the 0.5 to 2% of silver typically present in the coating on x-ray film and other types of black and white photographic film.

The film recycling process starts when a hospital or other facility calls with a request for film pick up. B & D Associates picks up the film and issues documentation as required to stay in compliance with HIPAA regulations. The film is then transported to the film recycling facility. Once inside, the film is weighed and compared to the bill of lading. From there, the film is placed in an industrial grinder and ground into flakes no larger than one-half inch. At this point the x-ray film is considered destroyed and a Certificate of Destruction will be issued for both the film and jackets/reports for HIPAA compliance. After the film is ground it is re-weighed to tally the official weight upon which any payment for silver will be made. As part of the x-ray film recycling process, a small sample of the film is analyzed in a lab for silver recycling content.

After grinding, the film flakes are washed in several chemical baths to remove the coating on the film that contains the silver. At this point the silver has been liquefied into an emulsion. The remaining plastic film is dried and sent to a plastic recycler. The silver recycling emulsion is then sent through several filters to remove the water before it is then fully dried, after which impurities are removed.

At this point the silver is a sludge which is placed in a 2000º furnace for several hours. This turns the silver recycling sludge into raw silver that is poured into ingots. Once cooled, it is placed in a vault where it is stored prior to sale to vendors.

About B & D Associates, Inc.
B & D Associates is a family owned business that got its start in 1974 by providing silver recycling services and medical x-ray film recycling. Since then, the company has expanded to serve the graphic arts and printing industries by recycling litho film, old negatives and aluminum plates. B & D Associates, Inc. also purchases film and silver flake nationwide.

B & D Associates has been at the forefront of regulated medical waste disposal, including biomedical waste, sharps disposal and other biohazard waste.

Today, B & D Associates is one of the most respected silver recovery companies, with licensed facilities and permitted transporting to serve their customers. As silver recyclers they are also proud of their long history of paying top prices to their many clients. For more information visit us at: http://www.safesilverrecovery.com