People around the world are looking for greener ways to handle death. Traditional burials and cremations have significant environmental costs. In the United States, about 1.6 million hectares of forest are cut down each year to make coffins. That land is as big as Hawaii. The wood used could build 4.5 million homes. About 1.6 million tons of cement go into graves every year. Cremation also creates pollution. One cremation equals driving 3,369 kilometers in a car. Many countries are also running out of space for graveyards.
Two new methods are becoming more popular. Water cremation is one of them. It is also called alkaline hydrolysis. The body is placed in water that is 170 degrees hot. An alkali solution is added. This breaks the body down. The remains are then dried and ground into a powder. The powder is placed in an urn and given to family. Scotland started offering this option in March 2026. England and Wales are talking about doing the same. Australia, South Africa, some US states, Canada, and Ireland already allow it. Jenni Minto is the public health minister in Scotland. She called it an environmentally friendly alternative.
Composting is another option. It is also called natural organic reduction. The body is put in a sealed container. The container has dry material like hay, straw, or wood chips. Tiny microbes break the body down into soil. The soil is then broken into small pieces. It is buried in a wooden vessel. This method is already allowed in Ireland, Germany, and Australia.