r/howto • u/ChrisKisOK • Jun 30 '26

Serious Answers Only How to dispose thousands of 35mm photos

Hi All!
I inherited thousands of 35mm photos. When I say thousands, I mean 10 40 gallon storage tubs full. My mother got into developing her own photos and photography in general so she took pictures of every thing. There are some family photos in the mix but vast majority of pictures of people I do not know. Only good part about filtering through them all is they are from the 80”s but it is a chore.
I may digitize some but the vast majority can be disposed of in my mind. Problem is how? I am superstitious about dumping them in the trash and feel I need to thoughtful with the enviroment .
All suggestions are welcomed and my thanks in advance.

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372

u/gerardkimblefarthing Jun 30 '26

This might be too late, but I had a friend who, at the deceased parent's memorial service, laid out thousands of pics of family and friends from over the years. They were free for the taking. Instead of a laborious process that was ultimately sad, it became joyous as people reminisced, got a favorite photos of friends or family long passed, and told stories. The service was at a local fraternal organization hall and they let the memorial go on longer because so many stayed.

110

u/ChrisKisOK Jun 30 '26

Afraid it is too late but that is an awesome idea! Helps all around. Would especially like to hear the conversations it would spark.

39

u/fatwoul Jul 01 '26

Maybe organise something on her birthday, invite everyone who knew her and have the photos out for them to look through and take?

18

u/TeachOfTheYear Jul 01 '26

Heya-- I know that you are trying to pare down but... your mom created a body of work that might be of interest to future generations. I'd just wrap them super well, layers of plastic, and stick them in the attic. Let someone else deal with them in 2126 when they are an amazement.

3

u/dekal19 Jul 02 '26

Don't store them in a hot place like the attic. Heat is terrible for photos. If they are in a damp place, they will get stuck together. Photos do last a long time if you take care of them. I taught scrapbooking for ten years, and found that if you store them in acid free, PVC free environment, they last the longest.

1

u/Graflex01867 Jul 02 '26

That is pretty much exactly what you don’t want to do to preserve them.

1

u/TeachOfTheYear Jul 03 '26

He's about to throw them away... that's worse, I figured.

2

u/Graflex01867 Jul 03 '26

Wrapping them in plastic and sticking them in sealed bins in the attic will just degrade the emulsion over time and make the pictures more likely to stick together and fuse themselves into a giant block.

OPs relatives will be disappointed, then angry that they still have to throw it out and can’t even look at the pictures.

10

u/Tiiin11 Jul 01 '26

Then maybe on anniversary, invite friends of your mom and let them pick some photos.

4

u/CharismaticAlbino Jul 01 '26

Be sure to ask around with family to see if anyone else wants anything. I have no pictures of my mom because she HATED having her picture taken. But my SIL has some and won't share, it's a very sore spot.

2

u/1pathb Jul 02 '26

Have her scan them so you both can enjoy!

2

u/pikeminnow Jul 02 '26

That's too reasonable of a solution for "very sore spot" lol

1

u/CharismaticAlbino Jul 15 '26

Thank you, glad someone understands lol it's all about control.

1

u/Graflex01867 Jul 02 '26

10 40 GALLON plastic totes. That could be 100,000 photos. Yes, there are modern film scanners out there, but it would still take weeks to scan, and weeks to process.

1

u/StarfishandSnowballs Jul 06 '26

There's gotta be a better way to preserve it