Natural Burial - What is it ?

Natural burial, also called a green burial, is an eco friendlier form of burial that aims to have as little impact on the earth as possible.

What Makes A Natural Burial ?

For a burial to be as natural and earth friendly as possible, the following considerations should be taken :

Limiting waste during the funeral process
The use of eco friendly coffins and caskets
Care of the environment during the funeral process
The avoidance of chemicals as part of the mortuary process

Reasons To Have A Green Burial

Many are concerned with the impact that we humans are having on the environment. Choosing a natural burial, using eco friendly products and being buried in a natural burial ground, is a simple way to lessen your impact and reduce your carbon footprint.

This "modern trend" of natural burial really is just a return to the way funerals have always been done traditionally prior to modern industrialization and the advent of big city living.

How Natural Burials Conserve Resources

Our coffin and casket range consists of products made from sustainably produced materials and many from renewable sources. Traditional coffins and caskets are made from fibreboard, timber and metals that may not be in sustainable ways.

How Natural Burials Preserve The Environment

Eco friendly caskets are easily biodegradable and don't add nasty toxins to the soil as they break down. We have a selected range we suggest for a true earth friendly natural burial.

Commercially produced coffins and caskets can take many years to decompose in the ground, especially if they contain metal and plastic parts. Natural Funerals offer a range of coffins that are more earth friendly than particle board and other fibreboards.

All South Australian Natural Burial Grounds require that a green coffin or casket is used or a shroud be used when the body is buried. This helps keep the burial ground pure and eco friendly and stops leaching of contaminants into the ground water. No bodies are embalmed in natural burial grounds.

How To Have A Natural Burial

There are a number of ways you can become more earth friendly at your own funeral. These are a few considerations:

Working with a genuine green or natural funeral home (Natural Funerals has the only dedicated natural burial service in SA "The Natural Burial Company").
Using a green coffin or casket for burial
Selecting a green cemetery for burial such as Wirra Wonga or Pilyu Yarta Cemeteries.
Choosing to have a graveside service which uses less resources.

Waste reduction

Natural Funerals has a strong emphasis on reducing waste wherever possible. The funeral industry is by its very nature a waste polluting business with coffins and caskets being either cremated or buried with plastic handles and synthetic fibre clothing.

We have a policy of reduction that includes the following :

To not use plastic handles unless necessary in carrying during a funeral for for OH&S requirements at the cemetery
Use biodegradable plastic wherever possible
No embalming of bodies is to occur **
Balloons and the use of disposable plastic items on our funerals are prohibited. We stock a range of eco friendly items such as biodegradable cups and plates.

For more on how we reduce waste please contact us.

** Unless the deceased is to be repatriated out of Australia where this is an IATA (air travel) requirement.