Should You Choose Cremation

Choosing cremation

Are you thinking of choosing cremation? It might help to know why others have.

Aversion to burial

• Some people dislike the idea of being buried.
• Environmental awareness has raised concerns about full body burial regarding pollution and land use. Crematories are heavily regulated by the EPA and use technology to considerably reduce emissions.

Beliefs

• Increasingly religions are accepting of cremation.
• Many people do not feel the need to preserve their body.
• Society is becoming less traditional with time.

Choice

• Cremains can be inurned in a columbarium, scattered, kept in a container at home, etc.
• More cemeteries are offering columbarium niches, ground niches, and scattering gardens for cremated ashes.
• Fewer people have spaces reserved in family burial plots.

Control

• Individuals are increasingly planning their own funeral.
• Many people view cremation as the most efficient method to handle remains.
• Direct cremation allows the body to go directly to the crematorium without embalming and viewing.
• Cremation allows a memorial service to be held at a later date with the remains present.
• Cremains can be handled or transported by anyone.

Cost

• Economic hardship can create the need for less expensive disposition.
• Money saved by selecting cremation can be applied to other uses
• Cremation allows remains to be easily and inexpensively transported to a remote location.

Popularity

• The Cremation Association of North America projected a cremation rate of 44% in 2015 and 56% in 2025 for the United States. This compares to 1% of all deaths in the United States a hundred years ago.