PURPOSE: To easily separate silver without generation of public pollution or the attendance of troublesome operation for separating silver from gelatine, by ionizing silver in a waste film, and separating said silver from a solution containing the ionized silver.

CONSTITUTION: A waste film is immersed in a chemical agent capable of dissolving silver contained in it, e.g. a solution containing sodium thiosulfate, and agitated therein to ionize silver. Thereafter, polyester and gelatine as a film base are removed from the solution contg. dissolved silver in it by a method such as filtration. From the obtd. solution containing the ionized silver, silver is separated by electrolysis or the like.