Stack 'em up: UK cemeteries are running out of room
It's true that tourists have always found London's double-decker buses endearing, but when it comes to the UK's new burial policy, it seems like they might be taking this double-decker thing a little too far. According to authorities, populous areas in Britain are experiencing a serious shortage of cemetery space. A problem that has prompted the government to allow cemetery workers to disturb gravesites for the first time since 1852. Kinda crazy, right? In response to the shortage, UK officials have launched a test program that allows cemetery workers to exhume their current residents and rebury them deeper into the earth -- making them stackable. The plan stipulates that graves qualifying for reburial must be over 75 years old, with no living relatives objecting. Sadly, unlike other words that begin with the prefix 're' like recycling, reusing, or regifting -- reburying is decidedly not eco-friendly. Especially because it's most likely done with a gas-guzzling backhoe.
There are plenty of eco-friendly options out there for those who wish to avoid the whole burial -- and later reburial -- process. If you're considering a water burial, you might want to read this first.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-18-2008 @ 6:55PM
Jim Anthony said...
After considerable thought to this evolving delimma there is another short term solution. The new standard of burial should be "vertical" rather than horizonal. The grave depth would need to be adjusted for some, but the numbers of interment could rise to about five or six for the same confines. Additionally, for those who believe in an after life there assention would be more expeditous.
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11-19-2008 @ 1:43PM
Mike Salisbury said...
Natural Burial Around the World
The modern concept of natural burial began in the UK in 1993 and has since spread across the globe. According the Centre for Natural Burial, http://naturalburial.coop there are now several hundred natural burial grounds in the United Kingdom and half a dozen sites across the USA, with others planned in Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and even China.
A natural burial allows you to use your funeral as a conservation tool to create, restore and protect urban green spaces.
The Centre for Natural Burial provides comprehensive resources supporting the development of natural burial and detailed information about natural burial sites around the world. With the Natural Burial Co-operative newsletter you can stay up-to-date with the latest developments in the rapidly growing trend of natural burial including, announcements of new and proposed natural burial sites, book reviews, interviews, stories and feature articles.
The Centre for Natural Burial
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