Just when you thought that you could have an eco-friendly burial, cremation seems to be hanging in the air as far as eco-friendly proportions of burials by cremation is concerned. A lot of questions has been hurled at the cardboard coffins for the reason that some safety issues as well as the issue of the ashes that they will be creating.

Crematorium Society of Canterbury general manager Barbara Terry said the Ecocoffins, imported from China, could be used for burials but not burnt in the crematorium because of the amount of ash they produced, coupled with safety concerns.

“There is no credible data or research that can make us feel confident the emissions from this product are of acceptable standards,” she said.

“This particular supplier has made the decision to bring these caskets into the country and the onus is on him to present information to the industry.

“They leave a tremendous amount of fly ash, which does not combust and settles amongst the remains of the deceased like a tacky attachment. It is a sensitive issue and we must take care to return ashes to the family to our satisfaction.”

(Source) Stuff.co.nz