Cremation is the process by which a body is reduced via fire to ash and bone fragments. Over the past decade, cremation has become the most common choice for American funerals.
It takes place at a crematorium, which may be affiliated with a funeral home or cemetery or may be an independent facility.
Burial or Cremation: Which Is Right for Your Family?
Some states require that the body be placed in a container in order to be cremated – this can be something as simple as a cardboard or light wood casket. Cremation can take place before or after the funeral or memorial service, and if you choose to have the body available for a visitation prior to cremation, it can be displayed in a casket that is rented for the service and not included in the cremation process.
Jewelry should be removed before cremation. If you haven’t done this prior to your loved one’s cremation, the facility’s staff should do it and return it to you. Some implanted medical devices, like pacemakers, also must be removed as they can cause explosions.
State law sometimes dictates that there must be a certain period of time between death and cremation – 48 hours is typical. After the cremation, the ashes will be returned to the family in about seven to 10 days. At that point, there are many options for you to choose between regarding what happens with the ashes:
- Burial: Ashes can be buried in a cemetery plot with a headstone, just like a body.
- Inurnment: Ashes can be placed in a columbarium or other structure on cemetery grounds designed to hold cremated remains.
- Scattering: You can scatter ashes in a places the deceased loved. There may be laws dictating whether and how ashes can be scattered in a specific place. Click here for some basic guidelines on scattering ashes.
- Saving the ashes: You may choose to keep the ashes at home in an urn.
- Incorporating the ashes into a memorial object: There are a number of business that place the ashes in an object you can keep for remembrance, from blown glass to coral reefs to bullets.
Some religions may have guidelines for how ashes should be handled, so be sure to check with your clergy if this is a potential concern. (Also note that some religions, including some denominations of Christianity, forbid or disapprove of cremation altogether.)
This flexibility with how the ashes are handled is one reason more people are choosing cremation today. But another important reason is cost. Cremation can cost substantially less than traditional 20th-century U.S. burial. Total costs can vary a lot depending on factors including what kinds of services are held before or after cremation, what kind of casket the body is placed in for cremation, what you choose to do with the ashes, and so on.
Environmental concerns are also a factor prompting more people to choose cremation. Cremation is typically seen as more environmentally friendly than burying an embalmed body with casket and burial vault or grave liner. Regardless of what is done with ashes, they also take up less space on the earth than a buried body. Cremation does still have an environmental impact, as fuel is used to run the crematorium and there are carbon emissions as a result of the process.
p.s. We are pleased to let you know that there’s now a nationwide solution for simple, affordable and worry-free cremation planning. For just $13.99/month, Cremation Club secures peace of mind for yourself and your family by providing cremation benefits and other essential services around end-of-life planning. Apply today at CremationClub.com
More funeral planning help
- Download your free funeral-planning guide and checklist
- Burial and cremation alternatives
- How much does cremation cost?
- How to shop for a funeral home
