X-ray

X-rays should not be put in your recycling bin at home. They can only be recycled through specialised recycling services.

How to recycle x-rays

Some organisations have recycling collection points for x-rays. Use the directory on this page to see if there is a recycling drop-off point in your area.

Here are some other options:

• Contact your council to see if they have a recycling drop-off point in your area. Many councils accept x-rays at recycling stations at libraries and community recycling centres.
• Contact the radiologist, hospital or x-ray facility that you got it from to see if they accept old x-rays.
• I-MED Radiology clinincs will accept x-rays from any kind of medical imaging procedure for recycling. To find a clinic near you, visit the I-MED Radiology Network website.
• If you cannot find a recycling option for your x-ray, you can put it in your garbage bin.

Why should I recycle my x-ray?

X-ray films contain silver in the form of halides, which can be extracted and converted into pure silver. 

Silver is a critical component of a range of technologies, especially medical and electrical. Due to the demand, silver is still regularly sourced through mining. Extracting the silver from old x-rays and recycling it reduces the demand for new resources to be extracted from the earth.

What happens to the x-ray when I recycle it?

X-ray films that have been collected for recycling are processed in a refinery to extract the silver. The x-ray films are heated using temperatures of over 1,000 degrees celsius. The silver is extracted and converted into a more pure silver form so it can be used to make new products such as silver solder, jewellery, the silver plating of utensils, electrical components and film manufacture.