When my mother died last year, we needed to combine her wish for burial in a traditional cemetery beside my father, with the family’s desire to make it as environmentally friendly as possible. We wanted simplicity, but we also wanted a dignified send-off.
We chose a simple casket made of wool over a simple wooden frame which was entirely biodegradable and instead of a formal floral topper for it we bought a simple bunch of roses, her favorite flower, tied with a silk (biodegradable) ribbon, and laid it over the top. Even though the cemetery required a vault, we felt good about choosing biodegradable options instead of the usual metal casket my mother had initially envisioned when she made a draft of her funeral plans decades ago.
The kind of casket we wanted was not known to or available through the funeral service provider we chose. But these days, you aren’t limited to buying a casket from a funeral home. Many companies sell caskets online, offering choices ranging from traditional steel and hardwood models to options made with eco-friendly materials like wicker, bamboo, or cloth. And here’s something every family should know: Funeral homes are required by law to accept caskets from online or outside vendors without charging any additional fees.
It was surprisingly easy to choose and buy a casket online and have it delivered directly to the funeral home. In this case, as an added and unexpected bonus, the elegant wool casket we chose was less expensive than most traditional metal or hardwood ones.
Resources to learn more:
- Saving money on caskets: https://funerals.org/get-help/how-to-save-money/how-to-save-on-caskets/
- Environmentally friendly burial options: https://funerals.org/get-help/green-options/
