(But what actually is it?)
You may have seen water cremation popping up in the news recently.
Scotland has approved regulations that will allow alkaline hydrolysis – often called water cremation or resomation – to be introduced as another funeral option.
For more than a century in the UK, the choices after death have been fairly simple:
– burial
– cremation
Water cremation could eventually become a third option.
But what actually is it?
In simple terms, instead of using flames, the body is placed in a sealed chamber filled with water and a small amount of alkaline solution. Heat and pressure speed up the natural process of decomposition.
After several hours, what remains are:
– a sterile liquid
– softened bones
The bones are dried and processed into ashes, which are returned to the family – much like after a traditional cremation.
The liquid is treated and then goes into the wastewater system (yes, essentially the same route water takes when it leaves your sink, shower or loo), before being processed at a treatment plant.
Some people find that idea quite comforting.
Others need a moment to get their heads around it. And for some people, it gives them the absolute ick.
But still – it’s good to have choices.
Water cremation is already used in several countries including the United States, Canada and Australia. In the UK it’s only just starting to appear, and it may take time before facilities become widely available.
One of the reasons people are interested is environmental impact. Water cremation uses lower temperatures than flame cremation and avoids chimney emissions, although it still requires energy, chemicals and water.
There are also other emerging ideas being discussed internationally, including human composting, which turns a body into soil. That option isn’t currently legal in the UK.
As with most things in funerals, new ideas tend to feel strange at first. Cremation itself was controversial when it was first introduced.
What matters most is that people have more information and more choice.
Want to understand it properly?
We’ve put together a clear, practical guide to water cremation that explains:
– how the process actually works
– what happens to the liquid
– the environmental questions people ask
– how it compares to cremation and natural burial
👉 Head to the Coffin Club Resources section to read the full guide.
