Boiling 'dead bodies' in a bag is an eco-friendly funeral, and THIS country is starting them this year

"Boil-in-a-bag" funerals, scientifically known as alkaline hydrolysis, have been introduced in Britain, with Scotland becoming the first region in the country to implement them, the Daily Mail reported. In this method, the body is put in a container, dissolved in water and alkaline chemicals, and flushed down the drains. All that remains are liquid and bones. Experts say these water cremations are an eco-friendly alternative to traditional methods that use loads of natural gas. The process does in a few hours what a natural decomposition takes two decades to happen. "Boil in a bag" involves placing the dead body in a pressurised steel chamber after wrapping it in a biodegradable shroud mostly made of silk or wool. A slurry comprising 95 per cent water and five per cent of an alkaline chemical such as potassium hydroxide is filled into the tank. It is subjected to a temperature of 150°C under pressure to prevent it from boiling. It turns into a liquid, leaving behind soft bones. This water is cooled and treated and flushed into drains and processed like regular wastewater, joining the hydrological cycle.

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Liquid contains no DNA or solid remains

This method has its supporters but is also attracting controversy, mainly because the liquid that remains is returned to the regular water. Scotland is the first to start with water funerals in the UK because, in 2023, 84 per cent of respondents supported its introduction in a survey. Kindly Earth, the company producing alkaline hydrolysis equipment in Scotland, the remaining water has no DNA or solids and is perfectly sterile, and only contains proteins, peptides, sugars and salts. The bones that remain are dried, cooled, and ground into a fine white powder, just like ashes and returned to the family. A water funeral can cost anywhere between $1,500 and $5,000.

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Helen Chandler, General Manager of Kindly Earth, says he is aware that not everyone might choose this process, but it is only about giving families a choice, especially for people who could be "planning ahead for their own funeral". Scottish crematoriums need to secure planning permission and an agreement with Scottish Water to discharge the liquid before they can go ahead with "boil-in-a-bag" funerals. The government plans to hold the first water funeral in the summer of 2026.