landfill

[Chris Whitehead]

I was recently reading an old inlay for audio reconstructions, where it says something along the lines of "episodes on video tape were wiped, whilst film recordings were dumped in land fill"

Now I know it's going to be virtually impossible to dig into landfill from 30 odd years ago, but if these films were dumped inside the metal tins, would they still be of salvageable quality?

[John Andersen]

Feb 16, 2009 15:38:35 GMT Chris Whitehead said:

I was recently reading an old inlay for audio reconstructions, where it says something along the lines of "episodes on video tape were wiped, whilst film recordings were dumped in land fill"

Now I know it's going to be virtually impossible to dig into landfill from 30 odd years ago, but if these films were dumped inside the metal tins, would they still be of salvageable quality?

There is no chance. Film and video can fall apart very quickly when not protected from the elements.

[Daniel O'Brien]

Feb 16, 2009 15:38:35 GMT Chris Whitehead said:

If these films were dumped inside the metal tins, would they still be of salvageable quality?

I was under the impression that the vast majority of film recordings were removed from their cans prior to dumping, as the cans could be reused. Either way, they were doomed once they joined the landfill pile.

[Dan S]

I've seen cans of film stored in a slightly damp garden shed for a couple of decades - rusted through and damaged beyond repair, so after 30 years in a landfill they'd stand no chance, so sadly they're gone, as is the extended footage of The Exorcist that's also supposed to be landfill under a motorway somewhere.

[Daniel O'Brien]

Feb 16, 2009 19:40:08 GMT Dan S said:

the extended footage of The Exorcist that's also supposed to be landfill under a motorway somewhere.

I think you mean 'The Wicker Man' (1973).

[Dan S]

Ah yes. I was in the right ballpark anyway. ;D

[philg]

it is possible some cans were saved and didnt make it to landfill..i recall a story about the skip company boss,picking some stuff out dont know if anything was ever followed up but you never know..

[Greg H]

Yes, from what I understand, digging is a complete non starter. The film prints would have turned into mush a long long time ago. Heres hoping that some concerned citizen took some home rather than junking them. Thats about our best bet really. Fingers crossed............

[Nicholas Fitzpatrick]

I hate to say this, as it will only lead to mindless speculation.

But you'd be surprised at what survives in a landfill. If quickly covered, material can survive a long time in the anaerobic conditions. I've worked on landfills - you'd be surprised at what comes out when you stick boreholes in them. 40-year old newspaper that looks quite readable, clothing, once even a cow ... well a 4" diameter core through one ... not much sign of rotting. And there's that old Roman one where they've found various scraps of writing.

Not that I ever expect that anything would ever be found ...

[Greg H]

You know, there was a victorian dump near where I used to live a long time ago, and I would go digging for bottles there (when I was a kid); I do actually recall finding some old newspaper on a dig. Funny thing that! I doubt if people will be digging up 16mm prints though somehow. It would be nice if the beeb's sins could be reversed like that. (and yes I understand that some people think destroying all those prints was inevitable or justified or whatever.......)

[Pete Seaton]

If you remember the poor condition of the stuff from the Blue Peter time vault, that had turned to mush with all the rain etc.

not sure about the films thought that they put there.

[Eric Lawton]

Posted by Pete Seaton on Today at 9:21am
If you remember the poor condition of the stuff from the Blue Peter time vault, that had turned to mush with all the rain etc.

Yeah Pete, that was disappointing.
I blame Percy Thrower !! Probably over watering !

[John Fleming]

I doubt the Beeb would have junked film cans that could be reused, and didn't they use a bandsaw on the prints before junking?

[B Thomas]

Feb 19, 2009 10:26:13 GMT John Fleming said:

I doubt the Beeb would have junked film cans that could be reused, and didn't they use a bandsaw on the prints before junking?

I don't know about the BBC but NZBC certainly did. The guy was incredibly efficient at his job too - nothing escaped him: if it was on the list, he duly chopped it...

[Gary Mooney]

i realise that nothing could have survived so long in the ground - still ,an interesting article from the Telegraph -

'With commodity prices rising, landfill mining is an increasingly viable option for countries like Britain.
In Japan, the world leader in recovering plastic and metal from landfill sites, gold, silver and platinum are routinely excavated.
Robert McCaffrey, conference organiser, said there was no reason why Britain should not build a similar industry.
"I think we will certainly see landfill mining in the UK. I think it is an areas that will grow over the next five or ten years. There are a lot of regulatory hurdles that need to be jumped but when the landfills are dug up the people that do it will need to use all the revenue streams they can get and if gold is amongst them then I am sure they will think about doing it," he said.
Peter Jones OBE, an industry consultant and former director of waste services company Biffa, said Britain has thrown away 3.2 billion tonnes of material over the last 40 years, including £45 billion worth of plastic. He said companies will go in primarily to extract methane and recover plastic, that can be converted to liquid fuel or recycled, but could also mine precious metals.
He said the process, which will be carried out by men and women in "space suits" under an inflatable tent to protect the environment against asbestos and dangerous gases, is another 15 to 20 years away because of the costs involved. '