As Australians consider end-of-life arrangements for themselves or loved ones, alternatives to traditional burial and cremation are attracting attention amid growing concern about environmental impacts, cost and land scarcity.
Burial and cremation remain the most common options offered by funeral homes, but both come with significant environmental costs. Burial requires large amounts of timber, energy and land, while cremation relies on fossil fuels and releases greenhouse gases and other pollutants.
Traditional burial is becoming increasingly difficult to access, particularly in urban areas where cemetery space is limited and costs are rising. In much of Australia, burial plots are now offered under limited tenure – typically 25 years, or renewable up to 99 years – but demand continues to outstrip supply.
Traditional burial also carries a substantial environmental footprint. The production and transport of wooden coffins involves tree felling, processing and long supply chains, all contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. Memorials such as headstones add further material and energy use.
While embalming is uncommon in Australia, when used it involves chemicals such as formaldehyde, which can pose health risks to funeral workers and potentially contaminate soil and groundwater.
Natural burial or green burial offers a lower-impact alternative. Bodies are buried in shallow graves using biodegradable materials such as shrouds or cardboard coffins, allowing remains to return more directly to the soil.
However, availability remains limited. There are relatively few green burial sites across Australia, and securing a plot can be expensive or require travel far from family and community.
A more radical option, often described as “human composting”, goes further by transforming human remains into nutrient-rich soil using organic matter. Despite advocacy efforts, this practice is not currently legal in Australia.
Cremation, chosen for about 70% of body disposals in Australia, also has environmental impacts. Each cremation releases carbon dioxide and pollutants such as mercury from dental fillings into the atmosphere.
Estimates vary, but a 2021 report found that the “total greenhouse impact, taking into account electricity, transport and resources inputs as well as natural gas, of a single cremation is around 430kg of CO₂ equivalent.”
The same report estimated that a standard burial in Australia produces about 780kg of CO₂ equivalent.
Water cremation, also known as alkaline hydrolysis, is increasingly promoted as a greener alternative to flame cremation. The process uses water and alkaline chemicals, heated and circulated in a stainless steel vessel, to accelerate decomposition.
It produces bone ash and a sterile liquid by-product, which can be recycled. The ash can be kept, buried or scattered in the same way as ashes from traditional cremation. Importantly, the process avoids the release of toxic fumes associated with burning, including mercury.
Despite its environmental advantages, water cremation remains relatively expensive and limited in availability. Costs are around $6,000, compared with about $1,000 for flame cremation, and there are only a small number of operators across Australia. While it is legal in most jurisdictions, uptake remains low.
Body donation to science is sometimes viewed as a form of recycling, but it doesn’t eliminate the need for final disposal. Universities and hospitals typically cremate remains after research and education use, unless the body has been embalmed or the family requests burial under specific conditions.
Private body donation services usually remove usable tissue shortly after death, leaving families responsible for arranging burial or cremation.
Across all options, a common concern is the desire for a place to remember and pay respects. While cremated remains can be placed in cemetery niches with memorial plaques, they are often scattered in locations of personal significance.
With many cemeteries moving toward limited-tenure plots, even burial may not guarantee a permanent memorial site.
Experts emphasise the importance of discussing final wishes in advance. Although individuals can outline their preferences, the executor of an estate ultimately has legal authority over what happens to the body. Clear, affordable instructions increase the likelihood those wishes will be carried out.
As environmental awareness grows and burial space becomes scarcer, Australians may increasingly look beyond traditional practices when planning how they wish to be laid to rest.