(The Center Square) – For decades, cremation has been on the rise as the preferred method of disposition in the United States.
As many embrace more environmentally conscious lifestyles, some are looking for eco-friendly alternatives to the carbon-heavy practice.
One of those alternatives is alkaline hydrolysis, also known as “aquamation” or water cremation. On Wednesday, a bill that would legalize it passed 152-51 in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
“People often assume cremation is the greener alternative to burial, but in reality, it requires tremendous energy consumption,” said the bill’s prime sponsor, Rep. Mary Jo Daley, D-Merion Station. “This legislation is about giving Pennsylvanians greater choice while also moving toward practices that are both dignified and environmentally responsible.”
This is the second passage for the same legislation in the House, and representatives are hopeful it will be taken up by the upper chamber this session.
“As a state lawmaker who represents constituencies deeply concerned about environmental sustainability, knowing that there are more green, safe and legal disposition methods is something that is fully embraced,” said co-sponsor Rep. Chris Rabb, D-Philadelphia. “This bill is a win for funeral homes, consumers and the environment. I look forward to bipartisan support in the Senate.”
Unlike flame cremation, alkaline hydrolysis does not emit greenhouse gases and uses a fraction of the energy. Instead, it reduces bodies by immersing them in a heated solution of water and alkaline chemicals, leaving loved ones with a fine powder of bone fragments similar to the ashes produced in traditional cremation.
Another co-sponsor, Rep. Abby Major, R-Ford City, is herself a professional in the funeral industry having graduated from the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science. She told The Center Square that people have a hard time with the issue because they “don’t want to talk about dying and death.”
“I think our job as funeral professionals is to provide people the closure that they need, and if that’s something people want, then I think that should be an option for them,” said Major.
Major said she didn’t encounter any strong opposition to the bill, though she noted that alternative disposition including cremation can pose a religious obstacle for some people who opt not to support it.
Traditionally Catholics, Orthodox Jews, Muslims, and Eastern Orthodox Christians practice burial as a matter of faith. For many, the body’s disposition has direct implications on the soul’s afterlife. For the same reason, cremation is preferred by other traditions like Hinduism and Buddhism.
Isabel Knight, president of the National Home Funeral Alliance, told The Center Square that alkaline hydrolysis is already used for pets in the state. Her organization has heard positive feedback from people in other states where it is legal, even adding that the volume of ashes returned is greater than through flame cremation.
“I would love to see more places adopting alkaline hydrolysis as an alternative to cremation because it’s more environmentally friendly,” said Knight. “Once you get over the ick factor, it’s a great option.”
Knight is representative of a growing push to reframe cultural conversations around death and dying, bringing both end-of-life care and funeral practices back into home and community contexts that are more traditional, sustainable and affordable.
Aquamation is not the only new disposition technology making headway in state legislatures.
Another option growing in popularity is organic reduction, also known as “terramation” or human composting, which generates usable soil. It is legal in neighboring New York, Maryland, Delaware, and now New Jersey, with some people opting to send their bodies across state lines for the process. Rabb and Daley sponsored a bill for organic reduction in 2022 and are expected to do so again.
Green burials, which require people to forego embalming and to use biodegradable shrouds and caskets, are already legal in the state and practiced in some cemeteries. The process allows for natural decomposition of the body at a fixed location, often marked by plants or stones in keeping with traditional burial.
