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Comment by Killah911 | Hacker News Reader

How about just burying the body, no embalming fluid, no casket etc & letting it decompose. Is that harmful to the environment?

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This is the norm in Arab/Muslim countries where their doctrine instructs that the (naked) dead should be covered only in a simple, white cotton shroud and buried six feet under; caskets and embalming fluids are not used. (Hence the Islamic requirement for a speedy (same day if possible) burial, no wake, etc.)

In similar vein, mausoleums, raised tombstones, and cemetery shrines are also forbidden (the overall theme is "we are all equal in death").

The net result is that cemeteries are "reusable" and some of the most-popular in Saudi Arabia ("jannatul baqee'" a là Arlington Cemetery) are reused/recycled every so many decades (or is it once a century, once the denizens are forgotten/no longer visited?).

Are you sure about that ?

http://www.bury.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=4013&p=0

Specifically discussing Moslem burials, offers :

Types of graves available

Timber, brick or concrete vaults

On request, graves will be lined with timber, brick or concrete breeze blocks to form an inner shell in the grave space. Please note that we require the following notice for these types of vault.

And in NY (http://www.isnf.org/Documents/GuideToMuslimFuneralsInWestern...) you are charged extra for not having a lining on the grave.

"A concrete or other permanent outer burial container is not required, but there is an additional charge for a burial without an outer burial container."

Absolutely positive, I've been to quite a few. You can refer to Wikipedia, a quick glance shows it to be in line with what I was saying: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_funeral#Enshrouding_th...

The UK burial section for Muslims might be for offshoots or sects; for example, I do not know if Shiaa Muslims adhere to the same. Or it could be like here in the US: government regulations say you can't bury people sans-casket, so it could be "these (and only these) are your options."

For anyone slightly confused (I was), Bury Council (bury.gov.uk) is the local government for the town of Bury, and that is a guide for burials in Bury. It's not the national authority for burials or anything.

I've yet to read a criticism of this being harmful to the environment, save the fact that it takes up land that could otherwise be used for agriculture/forestry.

Tangential: That's the commandment of Jewish burial law.

Bodies are to be buried in simple, plain linen or cotton hand-made shrouds. One reason is so that those who cannot afford fancy clothing aren't embarrassed that they don't have any.

Also, bodies are supposed to be buried without caskets, but in areas where local law mandates burial with a casket, that casket is to be simple and modest, rather than an ornate coffin.

I believe similar laws are applicable in Islam.

This seems remarkably sensible, now I find myself itching to research the history of embalming

The human body accumulates toxins which are then returned back to the environment. The mushroom suit can apparently neutralize some of these things. Haven't tried it yet, will let you know when I do :D

http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-mushroom-death-suit...

what kind of suit do the mushrooms that have absorbed your toxins (lest they be released into the environment) have to wear so when they die, they wont simply decompose and release your toxins?

Or what if the mushrooms holding your toxins are ingested by animals, would it pass through and then ultimately poison the earth?

There is a trend called "green burial" where just that service is offered. I had to look into it for a client who wanted a green burial dictated in her will. There are local cemeteries that specialize in it. They basically wrap you in a sheet and bury you. No casket, no vault, no embalming.

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