Experiences of a coffineer -
Part 10
A really useful trip to the
crematorium
It's quite a few months since we had our first cremation. In order to prove our suitability, we needed to "crem test" our Curve coffin and so, with a little
negotiation, arranged a suitable date with a very nice lady at Mortlake Crematorium in South West London.
Via a local firm of FDs, we
agreed to donate one of our hand-painted Curve coffins for a local man
whose family could not afford to fund his funeral - we were delighted that we could help out in this small way and not just waste one of our beautiful coffins on an empty burning.
Since the deceased gentleman was originally from South Africa, we offered to decorate the coffin with an Agapanthus design (African Lilly).
Since the deceased gentleman was originally from South Africa, we offered to decorate the coffin with an Agapanthus design (African Lilly).
Pallbearers carrying a hand-painted Curve coffin into Mortlake Crematorium
We've had a few comments
since to say that our beautiful coffins are far too good to burn, but then
again, they are probably too good to stick in the ground as well and this is the nature of the business that we're in - creating beautiful, hand painted coffins to help people celebrate the lives of their lost ones.
But in this day and age of
ecological awareness, just how "green" is the cremation process?
The answer, of course, primarily depends on the age of the cremator (or more accurately how modern it
is) and therefore how efficiently it operates. Modern cremators operate far more efficiently and cleanly than older ones.
Modern cremators use better
technology than their predecessors. The technology within a modern crematorium
ensures all exhaust gasses are re-ignited to ensure that the discharges to the
atmosphere are kept to a minimum. Modern crematoriums should operate with no
odour, no smoke, and no noise emitted to the environment around it – in fact,
they are cleaner burning than most wood burners operating in domestic
homes.
Cremation does use scarce
energy resources (natural gas) and contributes to the production of greenhouse
gases. However modern, properly operated crematoria do minimise this impact.
And, as each cremation is completed, heat is retained in the bricks of the
cremator. Therefore, the more cremations that take place in a day, the more
efficient the cremator becomes.
The beauty of a solid
wood coffin is that it actually aids the cremation process by adding to the
fuel and thus reducing the amount of gas required to cremate the body.
Then there is the little
considered benefit of recycling natural resources.
Following the cremation of a
deceased person the ashes are likely to contain metals, such as items used
in the construction of the coffin and, frequently, orthopaedic implants,
such as hip and knee replacement joints or metal braces used in repairing
broken bones.
In the past these metals were
removed from the ashes and buried within the grounds of the crematorium. Nowadays, and this is
certainly the case at Mortlake, these metals are often collected and recycled - the money raised is donated to national or local bereavement Charities, such as
CRUSE, Macmillan, SANDS and Cancer Research.
So, before you bury Uncle Bob
or Aunty Joan, you might just want to consider how much metal they've got
inside of them and whether it would be better for the environment to recycle
these parts for future use.
For more information about the Curve coffin please visit www.wealdencoffins.co.uk, find us Facebook or follow us on Twitter @wealdencoffins
