05/03/2026
Water Cremations 💧
Some of you will have seen that at the beginning of this week, the Scottish Government brought Water Cremations into Scottish Law, meaning that this process will become available once the infrastructure is in place.
But what are Water Cremations?
Over the next couple of weeks, we expect sensationalist headlines such as, 'Boil in the Bag Cremations now available!' This inflammatory language is very counter productive, to what is, a huge and positive development in the funeral industry.
We have decided to explain, to all of you, what it is, where it came from and what happens in the process. An honest explanation from people you can, hopefully, trust.
The History
The official term for the process is Alkaline Hydrolysis. The process was invented by retired pathologist Dr Gordon Kaye and Dr Peter Weber in 1993, where they developed the process, technology and patent. Originally, its use was developed to safely destroy pathogens in animals, such as Mad Cow Disease and Chonic Wasting Disease- meaning that animals which carried the diseases could be safely disposed of, without the risk of contamination or spreading the pathogens further.
They did not originally forsee the further development which would mean the process would be made available for humans, until the Spring of 2002, when a man named Brent Marsh, a Crematorium Operator in Georiga, USA, was discovered to have hidden and stored over 300 bodies, all of whom were thought to have been cremated- but sadly, were not.
Funeral homes across the USA feared that in light of this case, the public would be put off the idea of Cremations, and turned to Kaye and Weber, asking when the technology would be ready for mortuary use. It was Kevin McCabe, the owner of several funeral homes in Michigan who worked alongside Kaye and Webber, and was one of the first to offer Water Cremations to the American people in 2003.
What Happens?
The person who has died, is wrapped in a shroud, and placed in the chamber. Heated water and the alkaline solution is pumped into the chamber and the process begins. Once the process is completed, what remains is a completely sterile liquid, which is disposed of and the skeleton is dried, and then crushed, whereby it can be returned to the family as ashes. It essentially speeds up the natural process that bodies go through after death.
It is better for the environment than traditional fire cremations, and overall, it is said to be a cheaper process to carry out. Gas isn't used, and harmful fumes are not released into the environment.
Cremation
The first Crematiorium in the UK was in Woking, Surrey and was founded in 1878. It did not perform it's first Cremation until 1885. Despite the first Crematoriums opening across the UK and USA, the process was deeply distrusted, faught against, and remained massively unpopular. In fact, it was not until 1963, when the Catholic Church lifted the ban on Cremations did the process really take off, with more people choosing cremation- and today, it is the most popular method used across the world.
It is human nature to distrust and fear things that are new and unknown. It has been the case throughout the decades and the centuries. The best thing to do? Have a wee read, do some research and learn new things, before jumping to believe headlines and misinformation, designed to instil fear and distrust.
In Conclusion,
Water Cremations are an extremely positive step forward in the funeral industry, and we hope that before too long, it will be an option not for just us, but for funeral directors across the country to offer families.
Will it be the choice for everyone? Of course not, just as some dislike the idea of burial, and some the idea of cremations. However, what it does, is introduce another option for everyone.
Thank you all so much for reading 💜
Sources-
'Stiff, the Curious Life of Human Cadavers' by Mary Roach. 2003
'From Here to Eternity' by Caitlin Doughty. 2017
-https://www.chapmanfuneral.com/obituaries/Gordon-I-Kaye-PhD?obId=20626572
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/feb/18/matthewengel
https://www.gov.scot/publications/alkaline-hydrolysis-water-cremation-regulation-scotland/pages/4/
BBC News - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/dissolving_the_dead
A Scottish Government consultation on the regulation of alkaline hydrolysis (‘water cremation’) as a method of body disposal in Scotland.
