By Julie Waters
COULD traditional burials be about to change in Ards and North Down?
The council has recently pledged support for natural, low carbon and sustainable burials using biodegradable materials which could take place in special woodlands or meadows.
It is also possible that burials could take place in tree pods, in which a body or ashes are placed in a biodegradable pod with a tree sapling planted above.
Stormont’s All Party Group (APG) on Climate Action recently called on every council in Northern Ireland to support the proposal to explore and carry out more sustainable end-of-life options.
In response, Bangor Independent councillor Tom Brady led the call for eco-friendly burial options to be considered, saying they were ‘long overdue’ as an alternative to traditional burial and cremation methods.
At a recent full council meeting, councillors agreed to review sustainable end-of-life options and called for a joined up approach across all the councils to be set up to allow ‘a collaborative review of any issues’ that would come to light.
According to council papers, the APG stated that traditional burial and cremation practices ‘carry significant environmental costs, including high carbon emissions, chemical pollution and long-term land use challenges’.
Demand for dignified, low carbon alternatives such as natural (green) burial and tree pod interment continues to rise with increased public awareness, particularly among younger generations and eco-conscious individuals.
The APG group explained that a natural burial is carried out without embalming in biodegradable shrouds or coffins, with minimal ongoing maintenance and offers an ‘ecologically restorative’ option that is already carried out in other parts of the United Kingdom.
A council report presented to the meeting, explained that traditional burial and cremation have long been the ‘default options’ for end of life care across Northern Ireland.
However, it stated these options ‘do carry significant environmental impacts from land consumption to high carbon emissions’ and highlighted the eco-impact of the embalming process prior to burial.
As embalming involves the use of ‘toxic’ chemicals such as formaldehyde, phenol and methanol, these pose a ‘considerable risk of leaching into groundwater and contaminating ecosystems’, stated the report.
It explained that alternative burial options would help address ‘long term land use challenges’ as natural burials often take place in a woodland or meadow setting; graves are often unmarked or identified with a tree and a simple plaque or a GPS co-ordinate.
The report said the natural burial options had the potential to ‘sensitively’ contribute to the council’s climate action by reducing environmental impacts, including carbon emissions.
Green Party councillor Lauren Kendall supported the proposal saying there was a ‘real need to push forward’ with considering burial alternatives as ‘Roselawn is packed to capacity’.
Graham Bannister, the council Director of Environmental Services, said the council would be able to move forward after an agreement had been reached about what options were possible.
He said the council hoped to develop the burial space at Movilla cemetery and alternative burial options could potentially be incorporated into these plans in the next few years.
