Environmental Impact of Ink

[DirtyDog]

Could anybody shed some light on the environmental impacts of washing ink that you flush out of your pens down the sink?

 

I have read that one of the components of ink is Ethelyn Glycol, which is one of the primary ingredients in Antifreeze. I know you are supposed to take antifreeze to a recycling center, therefore I was curious about ink's potential for environmental hazard.

 

I do realize it would be quite hard to flush out fountain pens and recycle the used water, but if the environmental impacts of flushing ink down the drain are detrimental, I may consider dumping a bucket with the inky water outdoors.

[Shok THX]

I would say that any green effect you would have by recycling that water along with all the other fountain pen users would be washed out a million to one by the ink and paper used in any study that would show that it was bad or good for the environment in the first place. Not to mention all the ink used on the money to finance such a study.

 

Much more ink is lost in disposables tossed out in the trash.

[scutterdav]

Water that goes down the drain goes to a water treatment center (usually operated by the city), and is treated for all sorts of contaminants before it's released into a stream or a lake or whatever. But if you just dump a bucket outside then it will percolate into the ground or wash into another body of water when it rains having never been treated. So I would think that letting it go down the drain is the best thing to do.

 

Could anybody shed some light on the environmental impacts of washing ink that you flush out of your pens down the sink?

 

I have read that one of the components of ink is Ethelyn Glycol, which is one of the primary ingredients in Antifreeze. I know you are supposed to take antifreeze to a recycling center, therefore I was curious about ink's potential for environmental hazard.

 

I do realize it would be quite hard to flush out fountain pens and recycle the used water, but if the environmental impacts of flushing ink down the drain are detrimental, I may consider dumping a bucket with the inky water outdoors.

 

[mstone]

Could anybody shed some light on the environmental impacts of washing ink that you flush out of your pens down the sink?

 

I have read that one of the components of ink is Ethelyn Glycol, which is one of the primary ingredients in Antifreeze. I know you are supposed to take antifreeze to a recycling center, therefore I was curious about ink's potential for environmental hazard.

 

I do realize it would be quite hard to flush out fountain pens and recycle the used water, but if the environmental impacts of flushing ink down the drain are detrimental, I may consider dumping a bucket with the inky water outdoors.

Ethelyne Glycol degrades in water, doesn't accumulate in tissues, and is present in insignificant quantities in ink (if present at all). The biggest environmental factors for antifreeze are 1) animals love to drink puddles of it (in toxic quantities), 2) it has the potential for accumulating nasty pollutants from the engine and 3) it's relatively easy to recycle and doing so reduces demand for petroleum. Unless you have a lot of ink, or run it through your car, these should not be relevant factors.

[Jager]

Ink is pretty benign compared to many other products which are routinely poured down the drain - think cleaning products, Drano, and the like.

 

I process my own black and white film and periodically dump chemicals of far greater toxicity and seriousness than fountain pen ink. Studies have shown that those photographic chemicals are ok in the relatively modest quantities most any non-commercial enterprise would use (the issue is important to me because I'm on a septic system).

 

I wouldn't give ink a bit of worry.

[DirtyDog]

Thanks for the knowledgeable replies. I will continue flushing my pens in the sink and letting the inky water drain into the sewer without giving it a second thought.

 

One of the things that spurred my question is that about a year ago, I read some organization or government had done water tests and found residuals of a variety of medications in drinking water supplies. These medications included a variety of anti-depressants and others potent pills. I figured that if the water purification system wasn't capable of removing trace residuals of medication, it wouldn't be able to remove the chemicals contained in ink either.

 

It's reassuring to know that water treatment plants are up to the job of sufficiently cleaning our water of contaminants before piping that water back into our faucet.

[MDI]

If you use J. Herbin inks, you could try drinking them instead of pouring them out.*

 

---

 

* Please, never drink any inks, ever.

[Ondina]

Some inks are a lot greener than others, for example the above mentioned Herbin. Concerning the safety of the components, I know the EU implemented a very strict regulation back in the late 80's, so you know what they are not using (i.e., health or environmentally hazardous components).

[eilu]

The amount you throw out is infinitesimal, compared to what else is in the waste. I would agree that it isn't much of an issue unless you happen to be forcing tanks of the stuff into the water supply.

[Ondina]

I'd like to add that I've been wondering myself about this issue and I always try to use the minimum amount of water possible, and use inks that are manufactured under safe regulations.

 

On the other hand, not being my field of expertise but related to it, a close friend who was an engineer responsible for the construction of a new water recycling facility back in the mid 80's showed me how it worked and those facilities clean an lot but not all.

What I know is that the leak of chemical components is a big (and growing) problem as the standard water facilities do not even look for concentrations of many chemicals that are hazardous for health. So the less be dumps the better, no doubt.

 

If anyone is curious, I've been doing a test myself: when I flush or clean an ink, I do it in a glass pan or recycled glass container -like the tomato sauce or jam ones- and the resulting water, diluted, goes to a plant pot that is in the terrace. If the plants look bad, the ink is not bought again.

[Robert Hughes]

I'm used to dumping photo developer down the drain in my darkroom, and a mL or two of ink wouldn't even register on the first page of abuses I've committed against the sewage system. Guess I'll have to think a little more seriously about this in the future...

[pmsalty]

You've got to be kidding! Where has common sense gone.

PMS

[henrico]

For those on a home septic system, flushing ink down you sink may have a detrimental effect on your system's ability to break down pollutants. It may kill "good" bacteria, cause odors and plugging of your disposal field may result but it does depend on the amount of ink introduced into your system. Septic systems are designed to treat normal household effluent only.

 

For those on a city sewer system served by a secondary and tertiary sewage treatment plant, flushing ink down your sink will not have a detrimental impact on the environnment but it is a poor practice nevertheless. The amounts of ink flushed into the community system is lost amongst far worse and much more potent pollutants.

 

The proper practice would be to collect your ink "washings" in a container and taking it to a special collection area for further evaluation and disposal. This is the process we've had here for the last several years. It's not perfect but it is always being improved.

 

Henrico

Edited February 13, 2009 by henrico

[einv]

even the most funky inks of nathan are basically nothing more than colored water. i am with the person who wonders where common sense has gone

 

each time you wash your body with soap, you put more surfactants and alcohols into the drain system than a year of dumping ink would.

 

and no ink has glycols. they would harm the pen. could you please provide references for that claim?

[Pippin60]

For those on a home septic system, flushing ink down you sink may have a detrimental effect on your system's ability to break down pollutants. It may kill "good" bacteria, cause odors and plugging of your disposal field may result but it does depend on the amount of ink introduced into your system. Septic systems are designed to treat normal household effluent only.

 

For those on a city sewer system served by a secondary and tertiary sewage treatment plant, flushing ink down your sink will not have a detrimental impact on the environnment but it is a poor practice nevertheless. The amounts of ink flushed into the community system is lost amongst far worse and much more potent pollutants.

 

The proper practice would be to collect your ink "washings" in a container and taking it to a special collection area for further evaluation and disposal. This is the process we've had here for the last several years. It's not perfect but it is always being improved.

 

Henrico

 

I too am on a septic system and I'm very careful. The worst thing people don't think of is washing brushes with latex paint on them and a garbage disposal puts too much solid matter down the septic. Seriously unless you dumping a gallon of ink a day down your septic I think you need not worry. And get that septic pumped at least once every 18-24 months. I have not had a problem but my neighbor...

 

[Mescof1]

Get a ballpoint.

[RevAaron]

There is far more of a negative environmental impact in using a computer to make this post than in flushing ink down the drain. Assuming there is ethylene glycol in the ink you're using, the volumes under consideration are negligible, measured in hundredths of a milliliter for a full fill of ink; for the residue of ink in a pen you need to refill we're talking about incredibly small amounts, not worth worrying about.

 

...if the environmental impacts of flushing ink down the drain are detrimental, I may consider dumping a bucket with the inky water outdoors.

 

Why would that be an "environmentally friendly" alternative? I assure you that when they say you shouldn't dump used motor oil down the drain they do not mean for you to dump it in the woods.

 

Dump it down the drain.

[MDI]

Even if common sense suggests that ink down the drain causes no harm, some of you should stop attacking the OP just because he is trying to do good for the environment.

[DirtyDog]

even the most funky inks of nathan are basically nothing more than colored water. i am with the person who wonders where common sense has gone

 

each time you wash your body with soap, you put more surfactants and alcohols into the drain system than a year of dumping ink would.

 

and no ink has glycols. they would harm the pen. could you please provide references for that claim?

 

According to the below article, there is a very small amount of ethelyn glycol found in fountain pen ink. I am posting the following link for your perusal.

 

http://thescitechjournal.blogspot.com/2008...ll-pen-and.html

 

In regards to the lack of common sense, I didn't think that simply asking a question would evoke such a negative response from some of the posters. I was not trying to make a statement on whether ink had a negative environmental impact or not, I was simply asking a question to become more informed. To those who felt this showed a lack of common sense, it's unfortunate you feel that way, but I wanted a knowledgeable answer to my questions from those who have greater experience with ink. This is the appropriate sub-forum to ask this type of question, and I have appreciated the informative responses from most of the posters. The consensus is that flushing ink down the drain has a negligible environmental impact. Thanks to those who have provided insight into this issue.

[DirtyDog]

There is far more of a negative environmental impact in using a computer to make this post than in flushing ink down the drain. Assuming there is ethylene glycol in the ink you're using, the volumes under consideration are negligible, measured in hundredths of a milliliter for a full fill of ink; for the residue of ink in a pen you need to refill we're talking about incredibly small amounts, not worth worrying about.

 

...if the environmental impacts of flushing ink down the drain are detrimental, I may consider dumping a bucket with the inky water outdoors.

 

Why would that be an "environmentally friendly" alternative? I assure you that when they say you shouldn't dump used motor oil down the drain they do not mean for you to dump it in the woods.

 

Dump it down the drain.

 

 

My first thought was that dumping it outdoors may give the ink time to percolate through the soil and biodegrade in the environment before it reached the water supply again, but hey, if it's not the best alternative, I won't argue with that.

 

I think the analogy regarding used motor oil is a way off base, due to the fact that it's common knowledge that motor oil should be recycled, however, it's wasn't common knowledge (to me at least) that it was okay to flush ink down the drain.