UK to Introduce Controversial 'Boil In A Bag' Cremation: Would You Opt For This Liquified Alternative?

Unconventional 'boil in a bag' funerals in which human bodies are liquified and disposed of in wastewater systems could be coming to the UK.

A consultation of funerary methods by the Law Commission has proposed legalising the cremation technique formally known as alkaline hydrolysis in which heat, water and alkaline chemicals are used to break down a body into liquid and bone fragments.

Currently, burial, cremation, and the barely used burial at sea are the only funerary methods used in England and Wales.

While alkaline hydrolysis or 'boil in a bag' funerals or water cremation is available in certain countries around the world, it is currently unavailable in Britain due to its unorthodox disposal method.

An Environmentally Friendly Alternative To Burials and Flame Cremation

Advocates for water cremation highlight its reduced environmental impacts compared to more traditional funerary methods.

Ground-burials, for example, pollute the soil due to the coffin or vessel containing the body taking an extensive amount of time to decompose especially if made of plastic or metal. The bodies themselves can stop plants and grass from growing properly as they decompose.

Gas powered fire cremations are the most common funerary method in the UK and release high amounts of CO2 and other pollutants. One cremation is estimated to produce 126kg (278lb) of CO2 equivalent carbon emissions.

Comparatively, water cremation uses a significantly lower temperature and alkaline solution to break down the body, which means it uses 90 percent less energy than fire cremation.

How Water Cremation Works

Essentially, a person's body is sealed inside a biodegradable pouch which is put inside a steel water chamber. The water is heated to 160C and a substance called potassium hydroxide is added with a ratio of 95 percent water to 5 percent chemical.

The body is broken down similarly to how natural decomposition works. The tissues and fats dissolve, leaving a brown liquid similar in colour to tea or ale.

Wired journalist Hayley Campbell, who watched one of these resonators in action, described the results as 'not actually that terrible.' 'The human body, liquefied, smells like steamed clams,' she commented.

The bones become crumbly to the touch and can be easily ground down and scattered or kept like cremated ashes.

The water cremation process takes between four and 14 hours.

Water Cremation Remains controversial In The UK

The controversial element lies in that once the body has been liquified and removed of all DNA, it gets disposed of through wastewater systems.

Critics of the funerary method argue that disposing a person into the sewers lacks dignity. The biggest hurdle in the UK, according to wastewater specialist Dr. Lian Lundy at Middlesex University, is social acceptability.

While certain religious and cultural communities are highly against water cremation due to the perceived nature of mixing their loved ones' remains with poo in the sewers, others see it as having religious connotations. The use of water in alkaline hydrolysis is viewed as echoing that of a baptism at the beginning of life.

Many Countries Currently Offer Water Cremation

30 states in the US have water cremation available to them. Costs are estimated to be similar to that of a fire cremation at around £1,100 ($1,500) to £3,700 ($5,000).

Canada and South Africa also permit the uncustomary service.

Ireland became the first European country to offer water cremation when it opened a facility in 2023. However, current regulations mean that the funerary method is still currently unavailable in the UK.