During cremation, the body is reduced to bone fragments through direct exposure to intense heat and flame. These bone fragments are all that remains of the dead human body after cremation. The bone fragments are crushed to their final consistency which resembles a mix of fine powder and are called cremains.
Almost 40,000 Minnesota residents die each year, about 109 per day. Almost 64% of them now choose cremation. The national figure is 50% and rising steadily. In some countries, the rate is much higher: Japan-98%, England-75%. In majority Muslim and Catholic countries, the percentage is very low.
How green is cremation? Nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, heavy metals and particulates are released into the atmosphere when a body is cremated. If a body has mercury-amalgam tooth fillings, the mercury will almost certainly become air pollution unless the fillings are removed first, which is almost is never done. Burning a body inside a coffin also creates significantly more pollution than burning the body by itself or in a cardboard cremation container. Modern crematoriums often have "clean smokestacks" to reduce emissions and the cremation industry has claimed that reports of pollution have been greatly exaggerated. Direct Cremation Price Survey
Cremation alternative Green Cremation, or Alkaline Hydrolysis, is a new alternative to cremation. It too reduces the body to bone fragments, but by a very different process. See Alkaline Hydrolysis.
Options before or after cremation If you choose cremation, there are a few more things to think about. Here are the most common options people choose before or after cremation:
Direct cremation. Some funeral homes call this "immediate cremation" or "basic cremation." The body is removed shortly after death and taken directly to the funeral home and/or crematory. The ashes are either delivered to survivors or retrieved by them at the crematory. Some funeral homes recommend that if direct cremation is chosen, a time be allowed when the family can view the unembalmed body at the funeral home, before it is cremated. Most funeral homes charge extra for this. If a longer period of time is needed to allow family members to gather for private viewing, there may be additional charges. Some funeral homes will encourage embalming if the delay is more than, say 8-12 hours. This is NOT required by law. It's merely the funeral home's recommendation or in some cases requirement. Embalming is never required for a private family viewing. GOOD TO KNOW: Many funeral homes describe direct cremation as cremation without a service or ceremony. What this really means is: without a service or ceremony conducted by the funeral home. In other words, you are not paying the funeral home to host and or conduct a service, ceremony or celebration of life. See the 2017 Direct Cremation Price Survey.
Scattering near a pond
Cremation followed by visitation and/or service with cremated remains present. The body is taken to the crematory and the ashes are returned to the funeral home if the visitation and/or service is to be held there. If the service is to be held at another or additional location (such as a church), the funeral home may be hired to transport the cremated remains. You are not required to hire a funeral home to transport cremated remains (ashes) to a church or other location for a service, or to a cemetery for burial or inurnment. Family members are permitted to transport the cremated remains if they so choose.
Columbarium
Home funeral. A home funeral is held for a few hours or a few days, followed by transport to the crematory by a funeral and cremation service, or by the family themselves. The body must be transported in a covered vehicle and the body itself must be covered. Read more about ahome funeral.
Ossuary, Roselawn Cemetery
Embalming, viewing and service in the funeral home or place of worship. This is the preferred method of the Roman Catholic Church, which values the presence of the body during the Mass of Christian Burial. It is also the most costly method. Though not required by law, the body is usually embalmed. There may or may not be a viewing at the funeral home. One must either buy a combustible casket or rent a casket from the funeral home. Rental may sound inexpensive but its surprisingly costly. Following the service, the body is taken directly to the crematory in the purchased casket, or transferred from the rental casket to an alternative container (see image below). GOOD TO KNOW:Minnesota law does not require that a body be embalmed before a funeral service or other ceremony that will be attended by members of the public as long as the service or ceremony takes place on private property. Churches are private property. So are funeral homes.
FINAL DESTINATION OF CREMATED REMAINS: EIGHT OPTIONS Cremation is a method of preparing a dead human body for its final destination. After cremation, you’ll need to decide what to do with the ashes. Here are eight options:
Burial Almost all cemeteries require that cremated remains, in an urn, be buried in an outer burial container made of fiberglass or some other material that will not decompose. A cemetery may require you to buy a burial container from them. The cemetery may also have rules about what type of urn you can use. It's unclear why cemeteries will not allow ashes to be poured directly into a grave and then covered over with dirt. Cemeteries charge a fee for opening and closing the grave. And you must purchase a grave marker.
Entombment (inurnment) The cremated remains in their container are placed in a niche or crypt. Cemeteries may have requirements for the type of remains container they'll accept, especially if the crypt spaces are glass fronted. An outer burial container is not required.
Burial in a place other than a cemetery Some people want to bury ashes on private property. It is unlawful to bury them on public property. Regardless of your spiritual or faith tradition, if you like the idea of earth burial but dislike the additional commercial cemetery costs, and if a grave marker is not important to you, you're options for earth burial are limited only by your imagination - and the law, of course.
Burying ashes in a biodegradable urn tree-planting system There are at least four variations of this gizmo on the market. The come-on is, “After you die, you will become a tree.” The science is far from clear whether the imbalance of nutrients and minerals in ashes actually contributes much of anything to the growth of a tree. And ashes do not decompose. That said, when the house is sold in 30 years, will family want to move the tree to a new house? What if after transplanting, the tree dies? And when that house is sold in 10 years, will the tree be moved again? If you decide to leave the tree, will someone tell the new owners someone’s ashes are buried in the yard? The law doesn’t require it, but does courtesy? For some, there’s an emotional appeal to believing you have Grandma, in the form of a tree, in the back yard. Emotional appeals generally have a short shelf life. What happens to ashes is a decision for the long term.
Scattering/dispersal There are laws governing where cremated remains can be scattered on public land. Most people who scatter don't bother to check the law to find out what is and isn't permitted. It's more a matter of "Don't ask, don't tell." The same goes for pouring ashes directly into a lake or river or stream. Check with authorities or use common sense. If you scatter or pour, be aware that wind direction will affect whether ashes go where you want them to go or back in your face or on your clothes.
Ossuary For those who want cremated remains to be interred in a cemetery, with permanent memorialization (name, dates), but find the cost of either burial or inurnment (see above) prohibitive, there's another option. Two Twin Cities area cemeteries now have an ossuary. Cremated remains (ashes) are poured into a below-ground chamber where they are co-mingled with the ashes of others. Name and dates are inscribed on granite blocks. Lakewood Cemetery defines “ossuary” differently. At Lakewood, urns are placed adjacent to each other on shelves hidden behind a paneled wall. On the wall is a sculpture of a tree the leaves of which bear the names of those who’s ashes are in the ossuary.
Home keeping Sometimes people keep the ashes of a loved one at home because they can't make up their mind what to do with them. Others decide to enshrine them in some fashion, such as placing them on a mantel. Or they simply aren't ready to release the last material remains of their loved one. Whatever the reason or duration, you need a final final destination plan. (see below.)
Turning ashes into a keepsake You can have your loved one’s ashes turned into several different memorial keepsakes: pottery, dinnerware, jewelry, diamonds. If you go the jewelry route, you’ll have a lot of leftover ashes. There’s an emotional appeal to wearing a pendant or diamond ring, or eating off dinner plates, made out of Mom’s ashes. And if a plate is broken? “Oops. Sorry Mom.” Will that ring or pendant end up in a second-hand store in fifty years? You need a final final destination plan for such memorial keepsakes.
Final final destination plan for cremated remains kept at home Does Mom want the kids to take turns caring for Dad's ashes after she's gone? After she dies, does she want her ashes mixed with Dad’s, and then divided equally among the kids? There's still the need for a final plan. Our culture doesn't have a tradition of passing bodily remains down the generations. And home-keeping cremated remains is only a temporary thing, even if "temporary" is several years or even decades. It's important to make a plan for the final final destination of your ashes.
Mailing cremated remains The United States Postal Service (USPS) is the only shipper that allows the shipment of cremated remains. There are specific requirements for preparing, packaging, and shipping human (or animal) cremated remains. You must use Priority Mail Express, and clearly identify the contents. USPS even has a special Cremated Remains label (Label 139) available at your post office. An illustrated US Postal Service brochure, How to Package and Ship Cremated Remains, explains it all for you, including information on how to ship to an address outside the United States.
Flying with cremated remains The Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) has special rules for transporting cremated remains in checked bags and as a carry-on item: Some airlines do not allow cremated remains in checked bags, so please check with your airline to learn more about possible restrictions. To facilitate screening, we suggest that you purchase a temporary or permanent crematory container made of a lighter weight material, such as wood or plastic. If the container is made of a material that generates an opaque image, TSA officers will not be able to clearly determine what is inside the container and the container will not be allowed. Out of respect for the deceased, TSA officers will not open a container, even if requested by the passenger.
Airline cremated remains policies differ from carrier to carrier. Delta’s Cremated Remains policy is under “Fragile, Bulky & Other Items.” United’s Cremated Human Remains policy is under “High value, fragile & perishable items.” ALWAYS CHECK WITH YOUR AIRLINE BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO FLY WITH CREMATED REMAINS.