Is DC/WB truly Eco Friendly?

[ericheartsu]

Is this really the case? I've seen it claimed before, but with no real actual back up. Is there truth in the statement of these inks being eco friendly?

[Frog]

I'd like some definitive info here as well, as I fear, that like the usually unspoken overall impact and trauma to the earth caused by the manufacture of the batteries needed for"clean"vehicles, much gets swept under the carpet.

[tonypep]

Loaded question partially due to the fact that "eco-friendly" is a highly subjective term. Non-activated discharge (or waterbase) is ratherstable and has a minimal impact on the environment; with certain pigments slightly more hazardous than others. Some can contain chemicals (anti- fungicides for instance) that can interfere with certain waste treatment processes; particularly organic ones, so they may not necessarily be drain safe. Zincformaldeydesulfoxilate is an unrated substance last I checked however safe to say it is not eco-friendly. It bothers me a bit when printers throw the term around so loosely. Personally I prefer not to boast that aspect of WB printing.

[Frog]

Bottom line is that it may well be a specious claim based mostly on the perception that anything waterbased is as innocuous as water itself.

[brandon]

With all inks in this industry or others it is how you dispose of the ink that in my opinion makes the most difference.

[tonypep]

There used to be an ink company called Organic Pigments (now out of business) that touted this but in reality water is merely a vehicle that carries elements such as pigments, etc. Just like plastisols. FYI most water based textile inks can be considered latex based products

[ericheartsu]

One of my many "to do" things on my 2015 list, is to figure out how to dispose of DC ink properly. We don't always have a ton of waste, but i'd like to understand what the best way to dispose of it is.

And back to the eco-friendly topic, I'd like to approach a client that is very "earth conscious", and i know this would be a good selling point, but i don't want to lie about something that is not true!

[tonypep]

The best way to handle the waste (besides minimizing it in the first place) is to have an industrious waste handling company do it for you. They will test to determining how to handle it and will keep you compliant

[brandon]

For small amounts get a 5 gallon bucket from Home Depot. Wait till half full then fill the rest with concrete and mix. Place in Sun or just give it a week to dry cure. Solid waste and then can go to the transfer station. Most disposal companies I have found out incinerate waste inks. At extremely high temps I am sure that is fine as well.

[Frog]

I'm still waiting on what makes it more "eco friendly" than plastisol when both are disposed of properly.

[brandon]

I don't think there is anything eco friendly about any inks haha

[Get Shirts]

How can you stand the smell of that 5 gallon bucket of rotting dc ink?

[sqslabs]

I'm still waiting on what makes it more "eco friendly" than plastisol when both are disposed of properly.

My guess would be the PVC element.

How can you stand the smell of that 5 gallon bucket of rotting dc ink?

We have a 30 gallon drum currently almost full, and it surprisingly doesn't give off much of a bad smell at all unless you stick your nose in it.  We get it picked up about once a year and replaced with an empty one.

[brandon]

How can you stand the smell of that 5 gallon bucket of rotting dc ink?

Well, it's not like I live next to it. We just put a cap on it. And for shops complaining of really bad smells install the recommended exhaust it works wonders.

[Get Shirts]

That makes sense.  We have solid exhaust and air flow in the shop, just a super bad experience when we first started with some discarded discharge that sat around for a while.