Body Disposal 2.0
Traditional burials, sea burials, cremation – they’ve been around for a long, long time. But now, with land at a premium, new methods of dealing with the deceased are arising:
Resomation (aka bio-cremation) – uses heated water and potassium hydroxide to liquefy the body, leaving only bones behind. The bones are then pulverized, much as in regular cremation, and the bone fragments are returned to the family. This reduces the impact of cremation on global warming!
Natural Burial – bodies are wrapped in a shroud or placed in a biodegradable casket, the idea being that they will decompose naturally. Nothing new about this one, but I like it. Available in over 50 US cemeteries.
Eternal Reefs – …creates artificial reef material out of a mixture of concrete and human cremains (the crushed bone left over from cremations). These heavy concrete orbs are then placed in areas where reefs need restoration, attracting fish and other organisms that turn the remains into an undersea habitat. A bit like being buried by the mob in the foundations of a skyscraper…
Space Burial – choose the most important few grams of the deceased and have them launched into space, starting at $995. Pretty cool. Nice for folk to look up at the stars and thing of you.
Mummification (from $63K, and legal), plastination (free if you don’t mind being looked at in exhibits), cryogenics and freeze-drying (where you can literally end up as compost) round out the eight listed at Live Science