Seeking A Silver Lining

When Michael Hayes looks at old X-ray film, he sees silver dollars - or, more precisely, silver and dollars.

Hayes, president of the newly-formed Cascade Economic Development Foundation, has proposed transforming Skagit County’s mothballed incinerator into a huge washing machine that would separate silver emulsion from hospital X-ray film.

Hayes thinks he could process up to 30 tons of film per day. Each ton would yield $1,400 in silver and recycled plastic. Gross revenue would total $10.5 million a year.