Once the family has decided on cremation, one of the first decisions you'll have to make is what to do with the cremated remains. There are many options (including unique and unusual ones), so here is our brief 5-minute guide to the options most people tend to choose.
What to do with Cremated Remains
The basic options for what to do with remains boil down to these:
1. GROUND BURIAL
- At a local cemetery
- At your church's cemetery
- At a veteran's cemetery (here is a list from the NCA)
- At a Green Burial Ground (see locations here)
- On private property
- On your own property
- Planted as a memorial tree
2. STORAGE IN A NICHE
- Stored in a niche in a mausoleum
- Stored in a niche in a columbarium (an above-ground structure with niches that store the cremated remains)
- Outdoor niche (usually at a church or cemetery garden)
3. KEPT IN YOUR HOME
- In the container you receive them in
- In a unique cremation urn
- Made into something completely unique, like a hourglass, teddy bear, tattoo, etc
4. SCATTERING
- Scattered on land:
- Poured using a scattering urn
- Raked into the ground (very soothing; ideal for gardens)
- Scattered at a meaningful location
- Public land (hiking trail, park)
- Scattered in water:
- At sea, in a river, at a lake
- Poured using a scattering urn
- Dispersed using a biodegradable water scattering urn
- Hire a boat (this affords more privacy)
- Scattered into the ocean at a beach
- Scattered from the air:
- Hire a small plane or helicopter
- Scattered from a mountaintop or cliff edge
- Scattered using a drone service
5. SHARING AMONG FAMILY & FRIENDS
- Shared using cremation jewelry
- Shared using small keepsake cremation urns
- This helps with scattering/burial at different locations
- This allows family members to use different disposition methods
6. COMBINATION
- You can divide the ashes into two or a hundred parts, and use as many methods/locations as you want
- You can choose to scatter/bury/plant/etc over time
- You can involve as many people as you want, or conduct separate 'services' to make travel easier
