The United Kingdom is set to embrace a new ‘boil in the bag’ cremation method as an environmentally -friendly alternative to gas-fired cremations later this year, following in the footsteps of a number of US states, Canada, and South Africa.
The grim process entails dissolving the body in a 160c cornstarch bag full of water treated with an alkali over four hours. Bones from the remaining skeleton are then dried and crushed into a white powder before being placed into an urn.
The carbon footprint of the ‘boil in the bag’ method is said to be half that of gas-fired cremations. “A typical cremation releases 245kg of carbon, creating a UK annual impact of 115,150 tonnes,” which is the power equivalent of “65,000 households,” states the CDS Group, a cremation consultancy.
“We are encouraged to see that many members of the public are conscious of reducing the carbon footprint, even after death,” said a former coffin maker, Julian Atkinson.
The ‘boil in the bag’ method is merely the latest bizarre idea being forced onto people in the effort to tackle “climate change”. Last month saw the French government banning short-haul flights as a way of reducing carbon emissions.
