Cheapest burial/cremation/disposal at sea etc.

miserable_ol_so_n_so

I want to look into the most cost effective way of disposing of my body when the time comes. I am not religious and I do not want a funeral ceremony. In short, when the time comes, I want to be carted away in the cheapest possible container suitable for the purpose without any fuss or attendees such as pole bearers etc and disposed of in the cheapest possible manner including at sea or anywhere else. I do not want any ceremony and do not want anyone I know attending the disposal place. I will write all this in a document for my family, but I would like to know right now what my options are and the costs involved for each mode of disposal. I should think cremation would probably be the cheapest but what about the task of placing my body in the container, carting it away and disposal of it? Any ideas/information will be greatly appreciated.

building_with_lego

miserable_ol_so_n_so wrote: »

I want to look into the most cost effective way of disposing of my body when the time comes. I am not religious and I do not want a funeral ceremony. In short, when the time comes, I want to be carted away in the cheapest possible container suitable for the purpose without any fuss or attendees such as pole bearers etc and disposed of in the cheapest possible manner including at sea or anywhere else. I do not want any ceremony and do not want anyone I know attending the disposal place. I will write all this in a document for my family, but I would like to know right now what my options are and the costs involved for each mode of disposal. I should think cremation would probably be the cheapest but what about the task of placing my body in the container, carting it away and disposal of it? Any ideas/information will be greatly appreciated.

Are you planning on leaving anyone behind who may want to celebrate your life?
I don't have any answers to your question but I'm fascinated!

sammyjammy

I think the point the OP is making is that they see it as just that "disposal of a body" I am sure there are people that will celebrate his/her life but they don't believe disposal of the body to be part of that. Seems fair enough to me and I can see the sense in it. I would imagine a basic cremation is the cheapest way. I would imagine burial at sea is probably the most expensive but really have no idea - there is bound to be a website for it!!!

belfastgirl23

You can donate your body to a medical school for free. I have a couple of friends who have done this (both doctors themselves)

"Your executor or next of kin should telephone the Anatomy Office as soon as possible after the death occurs. If the bequest is accepted (and it may not be possible to do so) the body of the deceased will be transported to the mortuary at the Medical School by the University’s funeral undertaker. Relatives are asked not to make their own arrangements. The death must be registered with the local Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages who will issue you with a Disposal Certificate (Form GRO 21). If desired, a memorial service may be held at a later time in the donor’s home or place of worship.

Expenses connected with the removal of the body and its cremation or burial are normally borne by the Medical School. Provision is made for a simple funeral with cremation at xx Crematorium or interment in xx Cemetery. The next of kin will be expected to meet the extra costs arising from special funeral arrangements"

I also happen to know the person who deals with this within a medical school and I can certainly say that the bodies are treated with the utmost respect and with gratitute that the person has enabled students to learn how to help others.

Altruistic and cheap - what could be better?

MrsBartolozzi

What happens once the medical school is finished with the body?
I'm pretty sure the funeral bit is just delayed because my neighbour's Gran donated her body to science and they had a little memorial service when she died, but about 18 months later there was a "proper" funeral when the body was "released" from the medical school.

belfastgirl23

MrsBartolozzi wrote: »

What happens once the medical school is finished with the body?
I'm pretty sure the funeral bit is just delayed because my neighbour's Gran donated her body to science and they had a little memorial service when she died, but about 18 months later there was a "proper" funeral when the body was "released" from the medical school.

I think it's covered in the above - the body is released to relatives and the medical school pays for a simple funeral or cremation. But any frills are paid for by relatives.

minimoneysaver

I happen to know the answer to this one after a discussion with a GP friend the other day. The med students are 'given' their body to work on for a few months... or more. After they are done with the body, they are encouraged to attend a funeral for the body that they have worked on. I suppose you would deal with that, whether it be a cremation or what ever your choice is when you do your med school forms.

miserable_ol_so_n_so

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Altruistic and cheap - what could be better? [/QUOTE]

AYE tis certainly cheap, and does appeal to me. The only snag seems to be that there is an element of uncertainty in that come the day they may not want to accept my corpse! There has to be a plan B if that happens, and I do want to do my utmost to make life easier for my family on the day so they dont have to arrange things in a hurry and pay through the nose for the disposal.

miserable_ol_so_n_so

building_with_lego wrote: »

Are you planning on leaving anyone behind who may want to celebrate your life?
I don't have any answers to your question but I'm fascinated!

Thanks for your input. I do have friends and family and I would wish for them to get together after the event and have a good time, a few drinks, good food etc, without having had to attend the disposal!

HRV

Me and my OH actually discussed this when we were talking about our wishes and he concluded he wouldn't want an expensive coffin and was happy with a cardboard box- so we goggled it and you can buy cardboard coffins (cheap) which would save loads if you were cremated.

ejecoms

When I was a medical student, the funeral for the people who had donated their bodies was held in the anatomy department. It was a joint funeral for all the people who were dissected by that year. The medical students all came and the people's families were also invited. It was quite moving.