People are increasingly considering the impact of funerals on the environment when planning to farewell a loved one. At Australian Pensioner Funerals, our team assists families to explore current environmentally friendly funeral options that are affordable in Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula and Geelong. Available eco-friendly options are constantly evolving, increasingly providing families with greater options. Our staff can offer assistance when arranging a funeral for a loved one or pre-planning your own funeral to make choices that sit well with you and your care for the environment. Get in touch with us to discuss options that suits your values and preferences.
Environmentally friendly Coffins
It’s becoming more common for Australian families to choose coffins that reflect on their personal values. Environmentally friendly coffins, also known as a “green coffin” or “eco-coffin,” involves selecting a coffin made from sustainable materials. Popular options include coffins made from willow, bamboo or cardboard.
Willow coffins: are completely natural and biodegradable. Willow plants are grown without requiring fertilisers, pesticides or herbicides. The plant can restore fertility in marginal soils and also provide habitat for local birds and insects. Willow is a carbon neutral material, meaning when it burns it only gives off the same amount of carbon it has consumed in its lifetime.
Bamboo Coffins: Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plant on the planet, so they are generally low maintenance and can be grown from a range of climate conditions. Most bamboo coffins are made from fine strips of interlacing bamboo to create a more natural look. Once a bamboo coffin has been buried, it will decay naturally over time.
Cardboard Coffins: A good cardboard coffin are made from recycled paper. They might not be as inexpensive as thought because they need to be made to be structurally sound to meet cemetery requirements in Victoria. Before cremation or burial, these coffins spend time in a cool room where the air in there is moist. Cardboard coffins should be lined with biodegradable film rather than plastic.
Coffin Linings: Natural linings such as unbleached calico or organic cotton are used commonly in environmentally friendly coffins. These materials are biodegradable and offer a more sustainable alternative to traditional and often synthetic coffin linings.
Natural Shrouds
Natural shrouds are an alternative to a coffin for cremation or burial. A natural shroud is a biodegradable cloth and has handles made from the same natural material, included for easier carrying. People often prefer a natural shroud for burial as they feel that it emphasizes returning the body to the earth naturally. Shrouding doesn’t involve the use of wood and often the grave doesn’t have to be dug as deep or wide for burial. The use of shrouds for burial is limited to certain cemeteries around Melbourne.
Natural Burials
A natural burial is one of the most environmentally friendly funeral service currently available. Rather than placing concrete vaults and other non-biodegradable materials into the earth, a natural burial focuses on returning the body to the earth in a shroud with as little impact on the surrounding environment as possible.
Natural burials usually often occur in single, shallow graves which are closer to the surface where there is more oxygen in the soil promoting natural, aerobic decomposition. Minimal or no grave markers are used to keep the burial as eco-friendly as possible. Instead, the location of graves is indicated more naturally using trees or headstones made from rocks as markers.
Natural burials are often carried out in natural bushland or in dedicated conservation areas in some cemeteries around Greater Melbourne, the Yarra Ranges, the Mornington Peninsula, Leopold and Queenscliff.
Kurweeton Road Cemetery near Camperdown is a cemetery that goes a step further by offering upright natural burials in a paddock with grazing sheep. Burials are memorialised on a wall at the entrance and a native tree is planted on nearby Mt Elephant for each burial that takes place. All energy consumed for burials at this location is offset by solar panels.
Natural burials ensure a natural resting place in a conservation area offering families an opportunity to remember their loved one while preserving and celebrating nature.
Choose no embalming or chemical treatment
To minimize harm to the environment it is suggested to avoid embalming and other chemicals designed to preserve the body are not used. Embalming chemicals are generally not manufactured in an enviro-friendly manner, and do not allow the body to decompose naturally and return to the earth.
Natural burial often have minimal or no grave markers. Instead, the location is indicated under natural settings such as trees or headstones make from rocks or a piece of rough-cut limestone. Some use GPS coordinates to spot a grave’s location. Biodegradable urns made from biodegradable paper and cornstarch or cardboard are an option to scatter ashes or bury ashes either on land or at sea. These are manufactured as an eco-alternative to metal and wooden urn options.
Eco-Friendly Cremations
In Victoria, crematoriums are taking steps to invest in more efficient technology and cleaner emissions. Cemetery trusts have strategies in place as they are aiming for net zero carbon emissions and are currently implementing new procedures, introducing advanced technology to minimize carbon output and opting for green, renewable energy to power crematoriums. Choosing a cemetery where crematoriums are prioritizing eco-friendly changes to reduce the carbon footprint of a funeral is a way of making a difference whilst celebrating a life with a respectable and honourable service.
Eco-Friendly options for burial of ashes
Biodegradable urns made from biodegradable paper and cornstarch or cardboard are an option to either scatter ashes or bury ashes on land or at sea. These are manufactured as an eco-alternative to metal and wooden urn options.
Cremated remains can be treated to become beneficial to the soil by neutralising their alkalinity and transforming them into plant-nourishing nutrients like nitrogen and potassium. This process, often involves treatment, ensuring that ashes don’t harm soil or plants and instead supports healthy tree growth when mixed with soil during memorial tree planting. Untreated cremated remains can be harmful to plants and potentially toxic to seedlings due to their high pH (alkaline) and salt content. Using ash treatment methods and spreading the remains into living landscapes, has a positive environmental impact while honouring a loved one in a special and meaningful way.
There are many ways you make eco-friendly choices for funerals in Victoria, to discuss options further call our helpful team on (03) 9419 0004