Eco Funerals

Natural Burials

What is a natural burial? It’s the idea is that the body is buried as naturally as possible, leaving a minimal impact on the environment. There are certain restrictions regarding how the body is prepared and what the casket can be made of. Burials in the Maunu Cemetery Natural Burial area are dug to only 800mm deep, this allows the deceased and casket to be I the active layer of the earth causing it to break down at a faster rate than a traditional burial.

What is allowed?

	Permitted	Not Permitted	Required
Casket	Untreated timber, including bamboo Natural material / fabric shrouds with untreated timber base boards Natural lining material / fabric (i.e. cotton)		Non-ferrous metal engraved name plate – Full Legal Name
Deceased		Embalming Synthetic fabric / material clothing Watches, phones, electronic devices
Plot Marking	Untreated wooden cross / marker (painted lettering permitted, not to be replaced) claimed bynature)	Memorial stones or plaques
Tributes	Fresh flowers (no plastic wrapping)	Plastic flowers, trinkets, flower holders – anything that is not fresh flowers
Misc		Bedding of any type

Eco Products

In New Zealand we are moving more and more towards environmentally substantiable products, and this is now making changes in the funeral industry.

Eco Caskets – there are things to think about when making eco products for example from western caskets you can purchase an Eco Cardboard Casket made by Outside the Box it is 100% biodegradable and compostable (meets natural burial requirements), NZ Made and designed, no metal or plastic parts. Also, from the Cardboard Casket Company however their cardboard casket is not completely biodegradable as it contains metal parts, it also can’t be used for a funeral service if family want to carry their loved one.