Exploring alternative burial options

We tend to think that burial in a coffin and cremation are – and have been for centuries – not just the most common but also the only ways of legally dealing with a body.

As it happens, official cremation in the UK is still a relatively recent phenomenon, with the first taking place in Woking in 1885.

Even so, there are more ways to legally lay someone to rest than you might think and in this article, we’ll be examining a range of alternative burial solutions you might like to consider for when your time comes.

Different types of alternative burials

Natural burial

An obvious one for us to suggest, you might think, but natural burial – similar to traditional burial but without the use of non-biodegradable or harmful materials and with a positive input into the immediate environment – is still new enough to be considered by many as ‘alternative’.

Most natural burial sites – of which there are now some 270 in the UK – offer options for both full burial and ashes interment. In all cases, any coffins, caskets and urns used should be fully biodegradable, while embalming the body should also be avoided owing to the chemicals used in the process.

Burial at sea

Burial at sea is probably just as old as burial in the ground and cremation. With ships at sea often for weeks and months at a time, keeping hold of a body until it could be safely cremated or buried on land would have entailed a significant health hazard for the remaining crew.

Today, burial at sea is most commonly carried out following cremation. In the USA, full burial at sea is only permitted for veterans of the Coast Guard and the Navy, although an exception was made in the case of Beach Boy Dennis Wilson, following intervention by then President Ronald Reagan.

Aquamation

Aquamation – also known as water cremation and resomation – is another increasingly popular alternative. However, it’s not the most eco-friendly solution, because it washes a lot of chemicals into the water supply.

The body is placed in a steel vessel filled with water and an alkaline solution such as potassium hydroxide. This is then heated to 150ºC, which causes everything except the bones to liquify in about three or four hours. The bones are then placed in an oven and reduced to a white dust, which can be passed to relatives in the same way that ashes are following a standard cremation.

Probably the most notable person to have been aquamated is Archbishop Desmond Tutu, following his death in South Africa in 2021.

Space burial

Technically, firing a body into space could be seen as the very opposite of a burial, but we hope you understand why we’ve included it. And if you’re thinking that the likely cost is only going to make it a theoretical option at best, you may be surprised to discover that one American company is currently quoting a starting price of $2,495 (about £1,930), although you’ll need to add the cost of cremation beforehand onto that.

So far, burial in space seems mainly to have been the preserve of the original Star Trek cast, with James ‘Scotty’ Doohan, Nichelle ‘Lt Uhuru’ Nichols and the show’s creator Gene Roddenberry all taking that final journey.

Mushroom burial suit

Not yet available in the UK, the ‘mushroom burial suit’ nevertheless represents perhaps the most environmentally friendly solution of all, because it manages to deal with all the toxins present in a body at death.

The body is wrapped in cloth that has been impregnated with mushroom spores. Following burial, the spores start to grow almost immediately, both hastening the process of decomposition and turning our toxins into harmless enzymes as they do.

Former Beverly Hills 90210 star Luke Perry was buried in a mushroom suit following his death in 2019.

Donating to science

Last but not least, science still has a lot to learn about us and the way our bodies work. Plus, student doctors have to use real bodies if they are going to learn the skills they’ll need to carry out operations and other procedures. So donating your body to science is – with a few exceptions – also a viable option!

Here at Tithe Green Natural Burial, we offer eco-friendly natural burials at our sites in the East Midlands as an affordable alternative to traditional funerals that you might want to avoid if you want your passing to have a positive effect on the planet.

Get in touch with us now to find out more or to book your burial or ashes interment spot at one of our stunning woodland or wildflower meadow sites.