'Boil in a bag' funerals come to Britain: Scotland approves technique

"During a boil in the bag funeral, the body is wrapped in a biodegradable shroud, often made of silk or wool, and placed in a pressurised steel chamber. The tank is then filled with a liquid made up of 95 per cent water and five per cent of an alkaline chemical such as potassium hydroxide. The body is heated to 150°C (302°F) under pressure, which ensures that it does not actually 'boil'."

"Over three to four hours, this replicates the natural processes of decomposition that would normally take decades to occur inside a coffin. Finally, the resulting liquid is cooled, treated, and poured into the drains, where it is processed alongside normal wastewater. Kindly Earth, which has the exclusive rights to produce alkaline hydrolysis equipment in Scotland, says that the waste liquid is sterile and contains no solids or DNA."

"Advocates say these 'water cremations' are an eco-friendly alternative to traditional cremation, which uses large amounts of natural gas. The only things left after processing are natural compounds such as proteins, peptides, sugars and salts, and the water will eventually rejoin the hydrological cycle. Meanwhile, the now soft bones are carefully dried, cooled, reduced to a fine white powder and returned to the family in an urn like ashes after a cremation."

Scotland has become the first UK region to legalize alkaline hydrolysis, commonly called 'boil in a bag' funerals or water cremations. This process involves placing a body wrapped in biodegradable material into a pressurized steel chamber filled with 95 percent water and 5 percent alkaline chemical. Heated to 150°C under pressure for three to four hours, the process replicates natural decomposition. The resulting sterile liquid is treated and flushed into drains as wastewater, while bones are reduced to powder and returned to families in urns. Advocates promote this method as environmentally superior to traditional cremation, which consumes significant natural gas. International pricing typically ranges from $1,500 to $5,000.

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