Method of recovering photographic film

A method for recycling a photographic film comprising a resin material base and a laminate formed of a protective film layer, an emulsion layer, and a lower coat layer, by separating the laminate layers from the resin material base for collecting the resin material, said method comprising:

• shredding said photographic film into a plurality of fragments to be processed;
• swelling said fragments formed in said shredding step by dipping each of these fragments into solution consisting of hot water at a temperature of about 40.degree. C. to form swollen fragments;
• drying said swollen fragments by applying an impact frictional striking force to each of said fragments between fixed and movable pins;
• simultaneously peeling layers of the laminate off said fragments while removing the laminate layers that have been peeled off the fragments by passing the laminate layers through a screen, classifying the laminate layers and grading said resin material base so as to be said resin material to be recovered;
• and
• subsequently selectively recovering, by screening, said resin material base and silver contained in said emulsion layer.