In view of the disposal charges for electroplating waste treatment sludges, clean effluent water is only part of the waste treatment problem. US Air Force laboratory studies have shown the chromium reduction chemical used in treatment can drastically effect the volume of sludge produced. Ferrous and sulfide, when properly proportioned, have a catalytic effect which can reduce the volume of sludge from hexavalent chromium reduction reactions by 70-percent compared to acidic reduction with ferrous sulfate. Also, sodium borohydride has successfully reduced the sludge produced from mixed metal wastewater treatment by nearly 80-percent (e.g. 985 mg/1 to 220 mg/1). Both technologies are curently being tested in a 10-gallon per minute demonstration plant at an Air Force maintenance center.