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Comment by wonderwonder | Hacker News Reader

Why can't people just opt to be buried without embalming or a casket? Sounds like a nice way to go buried whole and maybe with some sort of tree seed that grows over where you are laid.

Not going to lie on a personal level, the composting process sounds terrible.

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That's usually how Muslims do it. Though we usually use very simple wooden caskets to ease transportation and handling . We usually also bury the corpse 24h or less after death, since we traditionally couldn't preserve it ( though refrigeration made that possible without embalming)

Interesting how jews have this too. I wonder where this practice came from.

That's interesting, I didn't know we had that in common. Islam takes a lot from Judaism so I guess it shouldn't be surprising. If I had to guess about why it needs to be so fast though, it is probably not a good idea to not bury someone very very quickly in the middle east. As for the very simple caskets, in Islam it is because we are supposed to be all equal in death so going with expensive tombstones or caskets would be very frowned upon. That's why a Muslim cemetery is usually very "minimalistic" and the tombstones very simple.

I'd add (because it's not obvious from what you said) that the gasket does not go into the tomb. The corpse goes enveloped in white gaze. And before the transportation the corpse is cleaned with water and perfumed with safran.

I think there is the option (at least in the UK [1]) to be buried in a coffin which is quickly biodegradable, thereby speeding up the recycling process.

[1] - https://naturalendings.co.uk/green-coffins/

There's this Dutch startup growing coffins with fungus.

https://futurism.com/living-cocoon-coffin-fungus

"Green Burials" [1] are gaining in popularity.

Sadly I know this because a young person that committed suicide opted for such a burial. I imagine the older generations are more concerned with tradition and religion.

[1] https://www.nhfuneral.org/green-burial-cemeteries-in-the-us-...

Personally I'd opt for a Mongolian style sky burial. They just take you out onto a mountainside, cut you up a little bit, and the carrion birds and other animals come to eat you up. Seems like the quickest way to return your elements to the earth.

This reminds me of the Towers of Silence found in historical Persia, and modern-day India: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_Silence

Zoroastrian rituals related to death are fascinating (not only because of their impact on abrahamic religions, but that's a different story)

Very cool. I didn't know about this kind of death ritual outside of the Mongolian steppes. Thanks for the link.

how about "whale fall" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whale_fall) burial, feeding the oceans

Sleep With The Fishes As A Service

I just need a cremation and a modestly priced receptical.

Or a ensure a Ralphs is nearby.

Human remains can be somewhat toxic (particularly to humans).

Human remains are a breeding ground for disease that specializes in breaking down humans. Now imagine that diseased juice getting into the local water system.

It's a myth that human remains are toxic. A human body is only as toxic as the living human that it once was. Which is to say, avoid getting blood and feces on your mucous membranes and you're not at any elevated risk.

With regard to drinking water, here's what the CDC advises with regard to whether people should be concerned with a natural abundance of un-preserved corpses in the wake of a natural disaster:

"Bacteria and viruses from human remains in flood water are a minor part of the overall contamination that can include uncontrolled sewerage, a variety of soil and water organisms, and household and industrial chemicals. There are no additional practices or precautions for flood water related to human remains, beyond what is normally required for safe food and drinking water, standard hygiene and first aid."

https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/handleremains.html

In general their broader advice is that you don't need to worry about any sort of disease outbreak happening if there are un-preserved corpses lying around (a position with which the WHO concurs).

We should be more concerned with formaldehyde leaching out of preserved corpses than from any chemical byproduct of human decomposition.

"Human remains are a breeding ground for disease that specializes in breaking down humans"

They are not diseases, but common microorganism - and they are specialized into breaking down any dead organic material.

You don't want them in the drinking water, though. But you don't want any microorganism in the drinking water.

In my country they can. They have a special "cemetery" that is designated as a nature preserve. No tombstones or signs and no coffins.

https://begravenindenatuur.com/overzicht-natuurbegraafplaats...

Enbalming isn't universal; AFAIK it's forbidden, or at least discouraged, in Judaism and Islam, say. Coffins also aren't universal (but can be made biodegradable, anyway)

Interestingly, though modern Jewish practice is to prohibit embalming, Joseph had Jacob embalmed in Genesis 50:2

> Why can't people just opt to be buried without embalming or a casket?

The article mentions the amount of land that this uses. I’d imagine that’s a big part of it.

What about getting set up on pyre in Varanasi? To be fair, not really a green option (CO2 emissions) but feels a bit more natural than being buried

CO2 is least of the problems with varansi. From disease vectors to river pollution there is ton of issues with it.

You can, at least here in Washington state. It's called 'green burial'.

> Why can't people just opt to be buried

Because this is a huge waste of land.

Cardboard caskets are half-way there.

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