If not six feet under, then freeze-dried or liquefied…

Don’t fancy being placed beneath hallowed soil when you finally kiss the world goodbye?

A new planning policy, issued for public consultation by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, suggests various alternative methods for the funerary dispatch of waste human bodies – some of them not so palatable to the Catholic sentiment of joining loved ones underground, but more environmentally conscious since the policy will prohibit the construction of cemeteries.

Burial

Standard funerary technique used in the Maltese islands. “The introduction and promotion of alternative techniques would, in the long term, reduce the need for extensions to cemeteries since the land for burial would be available for a longer period of time,” MEPA says.

But current laws do not allow burials to take place above ground. Above ground burials are successfully used in other countries, subject to sufficient safeguards. MEPA wants above-ground burials to be allowed.

Burial at sea

Burial at sea is the ritual act of placing a corpse in the sea or ocean, normally from a nautical craft. The method is available in the Maltese Islands. However, it is not widespread, limited to an average of five burials per year. Burials take place at a defined location at sea according to the following co-ordinates: Latitude 35 Degrees 54 Min North and Longitude 014 Degrees 34 Min East. This location is approximately 2.5 nautical miles (4.6 kilometres) north-east of the Grand Harbour. Only biodegradable materials can be used for the construction of the coffin used for such burial.

Cremation

Cremation reduces human and animal corpses to basic chemical compounds, such as gases and mineral fragments. Cremated remains may be buried in cemeteries, scattered in appropriate locations, or else retained by relatives. Japan had a cremation rate of 99.8% in 2008, whereas Italy and Poland have a cremation rate of around 10%. The cremation rate in the UK rose from 4% in 1945 to 72% in 2008.

Throughout the world, cremation is most common in larger cities which are running out of cemetery graves, whereas it is less common in rural areas where burial places are readily available. Although a crematorium is not available in the Maltese Islands, some cremations per year take place abroad (even in nearby Sicily) and the cremated ashes are returned to Malta.

A crematorium could be located within a cemetery or elsewhere (according to the provisions of development plans) – probably only one crematorium is sustainable within the Maltese Islands.

Cryomation/Promession (freeze-dyring)

Cryomation or promession is a novel technique that involves immersing a body in liquid nitrogen down to a temperate of -196ºC at which point it becomes extremely brittle. Pressure then fragments the body into small particles allowing for the removal of any surgical implants and other foreign material. A

Aquamation/Resomation

Aquamation employs a process called alkaline hydrolysis, in which a body is placed in a stainless-steel vat containing a 200°F (93°C) potassium-hydroxide-and-water solution for four hours until all that remains is the skeleton. The bones, which are soft at that point, are then crushed and presented to the deceased’s family. The residual liquid contains no DNA, and the procedure uses only 5% to 10% of the energy that cremation uses.

Foreign research suggests that the total environmental impact is highest for burial on land, followed by cremation. Aquamation has the lowest total environmental impact and it has the added benefit of recycling metals and other materials (used in body parts) which would otherwise be dispersed into the soil, water and air.

MEPA says that alternative techniques are limited in choice particularly if there is an increase in the supply of burial space, people following faiths that do not accept such methods, higher emission standards leading to higher costs, growing opposition to the destruction of valuable body nutrients, the environmental costs of such techniques, and even disenchantment with such methods.

In Malta almost all corpses are buried in cemeteries, a few are buried at sea, and another few are cremated abroad.

“Although alternative methods could be introduced, it must be accepted that burial is a choice, possibly based on cultural and religious preferences. Consequently, that choice needs to be sustained by maintaining the supply of burial space consistent with forecast demands,” MEPA says.