Interesting. I was taught to just dump it down the drain after use (yes, 20 years ago), followed by running the tap for two or three minutes. I generally just dumped used developer (say 8 to 16 ounces, and at 1:1 dilution) down the drain when I started washing negatives and let the wash water do the dilution over the next 10-15 minutes.
In my opinion, D-76 is one of the best developers ever made. The problem though is that it is a powder. It is so much easier to use something like HC-110 or Rodinal. With these liquids, there is never issue with the solution being too warm, which is a problem with D-76. especially if using it as stock strenght.
