Green and Alternative Disposition: Aquamation, Natural Burial, and Emerging Methods

Green and Alternative Disposition: An Overview

For most of the twentieth century, American funerals followed a narrow path: embalming, a casket, and either earth burial in a conventional cemetery or cremation. Today, families increasingly ask about options that reduce environmental impact. As a funeral director, you must understand the legal status, practical requirements, and communication skills needed to serve these families well.

What Is Green Burial?

Green burial, also called natural burial, is interment without embalming chemicals, metal caskets, or concrete vaults. The goal is to allow the body to decompose naturally and return nutrients to the soil. Key features include:

• No embalming with chemical preservatives. Refrigeration or dry ice may be used for short-term preservation if the family needs time before disposition.
• Biodegradable containers. Shrouds, wicker baskets, untreated wood coffins, or no container at all are typical choices.
• No concrete vault or liner in certified natural burial grounds, though some conventional cemeteries that offer a green section may still require a liner for grave-stability reasons—always verify the specific cemetery's rules.
• Site requirements. Burial must occur in a cemetery or land designated and permitted for burial under state law. "Backyard" burial is legal in only a small number of states and is heavily regulated even where permitted.

The Green Burial Council (GBC) is a nonprofit that certifies burial grounds and funeral providers at different tiers based on how fully they meet ecological standards. GBC certification is voluntary and is a useful reference for families comparing providers, but it does not replace state law.

Regulatory Status of Natural Burial

Natural burial itself is legal in all fifty states because standard cemetery law already permits unembalmed burial in a biodegradable container. What varies by state is:

• Whether embalming is required by law (most states do not require it; a few require it under specific conditions such as transportation across state lines or delay beyond a set time).
• Cemetery licensing rules that may require vaults in conventional sections.
• Transportation and filing timelines for the death certificate and burial permit.

Always check your state's specific statutes and regulations, because they change. Refer to the instructor-provided state regulatory summary for current rules in your jurisdiction.

Alkaline Hydrolysis (Aquamation)

Alkaline hydrolysis (AH), sometimes marketed under trade names such as aquamation or water cremation, is a process in which the body is placed in a pressurized, stainless-steel vessel with a water-and-alkali solution (typically potassium hydroxide or a potassium hydroxide/sodium hydroxide blend), heated, and gently agitated. Over several hours, soft tissue dissolves into a sterile, coffee-colored effluent. Bone mineral remains, is dried, and processed into a fine powder—similar in appearance to cremated remains—which is returned to the family.

Environmental considerations: AH uses significantly less energy than flame cremation and produces no direct stack emissions. The effluent is high-pH water that must be treated before discharge; most licensed facilities use municipal wastewater systems that handle it within normal parameters, but discharge requirements vary by locality.

Regulatory status: As of the mid-2020s, alkaline hydrolysis is authorized in a growing but not universal number of states. Legalization has typically required specific amendments to state funeral service or disposition statutes, because most older laws defined lawful disposition only as burial or flame cremation. States that have enacted enabling legislation generally place AH under the regulatory authority of the state funeral or cemetery board. Several states still lack authorizing legislation. Always verify current status in your state, because the legal landscape continues to shift.

Licensing implications: In states where AH is authorized, operating an AH unit typically requires a specific endorsement or facility license in addition to the standard funeral establishment license. Practitioners must ensure the facility meets all equipment and effluent-discharge requirements before offering the service.

Emerging Methods

Two additional methods appear in professional literature and public conversation:

• Natural Organic Reduction (NOR) / Terramation: The body is placed in a vessel with wood chips and other organic material; microbial activity converts remains to soil amendment over several weeks. As of the mid-2020s, a small number of states have enacted specific authorizing legislation. It is not yet widely available.
• Promession and other freeze-based methods: These remain largely experimental and are not commercially available in the United States at this time.

Be honest with families: if a method is not yet legal or available in your state, say so clearly and explain what alternatives exist.

Communicating With Families

Families exploring green options often have strong environmental or philosophical values. Effective communication includes:

1. Listen first. Ask what matters most to them—cost, ecological impact, ceremony, or personal belief.

2. Be accurate about what is and is not permitted. Never promise a service you cannot legally deliver.

3. Explain body-preparation limits. Natural burial typically means no arterial embalming; explain refrigeration or dry-ice options for viewing.

4. Discuss ceremony. Green and alternative dispositions can still include meaningful funeral ceremonies—graveside services, memorial gatherings, and scattering of processed remains (where legal).

5. Use plain language. Avoid jargon. The consumer information sheet you create in this lesson is practice in writing for a general audience.

Safety Considerations

• Universal precautions apply regardless of disposition method. Unembalmed bodies still require proper personal protective equipment during preparation and transport.
• Alkaline hydrolysis operators must follow all OSHA guidelines for handling concentrated alkali solutions, which are caustic and hazardous.
• Confirm all permits—death certificate, burial permit, and any state-specific disposition authorization—are in order before proceeding with any alternative disposition.