Traditional Burial

The standard American funeral: embalming, viewing, casket, vault, cemetery plot, headstone. It is the most expensive and environmentally impactful option, but remains the cultural default in many communities.

What Actually Happens

The body is embalmed with formaldehyde-based fluids to preserve it for viewing. It is placed in a casket (often metal or hardwood), which is then placed inside a concrete or steel burial vault to prevent ground collapse. The vault and casket are buried in a cemetery plot, marked with a headstone.

The body decomposes slowly over decades due to the anaerobic (oxygen-free) environment created by the vault and casket. Embalming fluid can leach into groundwater.

Cost Breakdown

• Basic services fee (funeral home): $2,000–$2,500
• Embalming & preparation: $500–$1,200
• Casket: $2,000–$10,000+
• Vault: $1,000–$3,000
• Cemetery plot: $1,000–$4,000
• Headstone/marker: $500–$3,000
• Viewing/ceremony: $500–$1,500

Cremation

The body is placed in a cremation chamber and exposed to intense heat (1,400–1,800°F) for 2–4 hours. What remains is bone fragments, which are processed into a fine powder—”ashes.” About 3–7 pounds of ash result from an average adult.

What Actually Happens

The cremation chamber (retort) is lined with fire-resistant bricks. Natural gas, propane, or diesel fuels the burn. The body is placed in a simple cardboard or wooden container. After cremation, metal implants (hip replacements, dental work) are removed with a magnet, and the bone fragments are pulverized in a machine called a cremulator.

The ashes are inorganic minerals—calcium phosphates. They are sterile and odorless. The color ranges from light gray to white depending on bone density.

Types of Cremation

• Direct cremation: No viewing, no ceremony. Body cremated immediately. Cheapest option. $1,000–$2,000.
• Cremation with memorial service: Service held after cremation, ashes present in urn. $2,000–$4,000.
• Cremation with viewing: Body embalmed and viewed before cremation. $3,000–$6,000.

What to Do with Ashes

• Keep in an urn at home
• Scatter on private property (with permission)
• Scatter at sea (3+ nautical miles, EPA notification)
• Bury in cemetery plot or columbarium niche
• Divide among family members
• Explore Weird & Wonderful options (diamonds, reefs, space, etc.)

Aquamation (Alkaline Hydrolysis)

Water-based cremation. The body is placed in a pressurized stainless steel chamber filled with 95% water and 5% alkaline solution (potassium hydroxide). Heated to 300°F, the solution gently dissolves tissue over 6–8 hours. What remains is sterile liquid and soft bone, which is processed into ash.

What Actually Happens

The process mimics natural decomposition, just accelerated. The alkaline solution breaks chemical bonds in proteins and fats. The sterile liquid byproduct (amino acids, sugars, salts) is safe to release into wastewater systems—it is essentially nutrient-rich water.

The bone remains are soft and porous. After drying, they are processed in a cremulator into a white, fine powder. Aquamation produces 20–30% more ash than flame cremation because the bones are not burned away.

Environmental Impact

• Uses 90% less energy than flame cremation
• No mercury emissions (dental fillings are recovered intact)
• No greenhouse gas emissions
• Water usage is minimal (recirculated system)

Where It Is Legal

Aquamation is legal in 28 states as of 2026. It is pending or under review in several others. The funeral industry has resisted in some states due to infrastructure investment (the machines cost $200,000–$400,000).

Human Composting (Natural Organic Reduction)

The body is placed in a sealed vessel with wood chips, alfalfa, and straw. Over 30–60 days, microbes break down the body into nutrient-rich soil—about 1–2 cubic yards. The soil is returned to the family or donated to conservation land.

What Actually Happens

Pioneered by Recompose in Seattle, the process uses a 7-foot steel cylinder called a “cradle.” The body is laid on a bed of wood chips and covered with more plant material. The vessel is rotated periodically to aerate the mixture. Temperature reaches 120–150°F as microbes work—hot enough to kill pathogens.

After 30 days, the material is screened for non-organic items (implants, fillings). The remaining soil is cured for 2–4 weeks. The result is a dark, odorless, nutrient-dense soil similar to high-quality compost.

Where It Is Legal

Human composting was first legalized in Washington State in 2019. Since then, 11 more states have followed. The trend is accelerating as environmental concerns grow.

What to Do with the Soil

• Spread in a garden or forest
• Donate to land conservation projects
• Place in a planter with a tree or flowers
• Divide among family members

Green Burial

No embalming. No vault. No metal casket. The body is buried in a biodegradable shroud or simple wooden casket, directly in the earth. It decomposes naturally, feeding the soil and the ecosystem above it.

What Actually Happens

The body is kept cool with dry ice or refrigeration until burial (no embalming). It is wrapped in a biodegradable shroud (cotton, linen, wool) or placed in an unfinished pine, wicker, or cardboard casket. The grave is dug to 3–4 feet (shallower than conventional 6 feet) to allow aerobic decomposition.

Green burial cemeteries often look like nature preserves—no manicured lawns, no headstones (flat markers or GPS coordinates instead). Some allow tree planting over graves.

Cost Breakdown

• Shroud or simple casket: $200–$1,500
• Cemetery plot: $500–$3,000
• Opening/closing grave: $300–$800
• Home funeral guide (optional): $500–$1,000

Finding a Green Cemetery

The Green Burial Council certifies cemeteries as “Green,” “Green+,” or “Hybrid.” There are over 350 certified locations in the US and Canada. Some conventional cemeteries have green sections.

Body Donation to Science

The body is donated to a medical school, research facility, or forensic anthropology program. It is used for anatomical study, surgical training, or decomposition research. After 1–2 years, the remains are cremated and returned to the family—or scattered in a memorial garden.

What Actually Happens

Whole-body donation is handled by university medical programs or private tissue banks. The body is transported (usually at no cost to the family), stored, and assigned to educational or research use. Some programs allow families to specify research areas (e.g., Alzheimer’s, cancer).

After use, the remains are cremated. Most programs return ashes to the family within 2–4 weeks of cremation. Some hold an annual memorial service for donors.

Types of Donation

• Medical education: Anatomy labs for medical students. 1–3 years.
• Surgical training: Cadaver labs for practicing surgeons. 6–18 months.
• Forensic research: Body farms study decomposition. 6 months–2 years.
• Tissue/organ donation: Separate from whole-body donation. Immediate.

Eligibility

Most people qualify, but exclusions apply: contagious diseases (HIV, hepatitis C), extreme obesity, autopsy, or certain cancers that have metastasized. Each program has different criteria. Pre-registration is strongly recommended.