From chemical to paper waste, film was notoriously bad for the enviroment. But film was necessary for the functioning of an analog camera. The introduction of the digital camera, using primarily electricity, significantly helped the enviroment.
Chemical Waste of Processing Film
Analog cameras are infamous for creating excessive amounts of chemical waste. The film was the biggest perpetrator. Every time a picture was taken on an analog camera, a section of film was irreversably changed. This wasted a huge amount of film, as not all pictures taken served their intended purposes, and were therefore discarded. Film is made of plastic coated with silver halide salts, which isn't biodegradable, it was terrible for the enviroment. The chemicals required for developing film, including acids, metol, and hydroquinone, were highly toxic and dangerous if improperly disposed of.
Paper Waste
In addition to chemical waste, dependency on film produced a massive increase in paper and plastic waste. Any containers or objects used in the development of a picture were mass produced and usually improperly disposed of. Ink cartriges from printing pictures, were usually put in the garbage. Film canisters, made of a mixture of cardboard and plastic, were thrown away after use. As the film camera became increasingly commonplace, as did it's damage to the enviroment.