Cremation vs Burial: An Ethical Decision?

A perhaps surprising statistic: 75% of funerals in the UK involve cremations. But why do people choose to be cremated instead of buried? Is it solely because it’s cheaper? Or are more people choosing to be cremated because it’s better for the environment?

There is a huge cost difference between being buried and being cremated. A traditional funeral with cremation will be £3,596 on average, compared with a traditional funeral with a burial, which would cost on average £4,561. A direct cremation with no funeral service is cheaper again. There may be the additional cost of burying the ashes in a cemetery to have a special place to visit. But if you choose to scatter the ashes somewhere, that usually does not cost anything.

An Environmental Impact

Burial space is currently very limited in the UK with over half of all cemeteries possibly running out of the room within the next 20 years. However, one cremation will use around 15 kiloWatt of electricity on average and 285 kiloWatt hours of gas. On top of this, 16% of all UK mercury emissions are due to cremations as the mercury in dental fillings, are released into the air!

On the other hand, cremations do not require caskets. These are usually made out of wood acquired from cutting down trees and some are being made out of bronze and copper which may eventually pose risks to the environment because of the mechanical and chemical processes they have gone through.

So, the issue is not clear-cut. No matter what your personal preference, Wells Funeral Services provide both burial and cremation services at unbeatable prices. Contact us to find out more.