Body Disposition OPtions in Maine and New england
Green Burial
In a typical green burial, the body is not cremated, prepared with chemicals, or buried in a concrete vault. It is simply placed in a biodegradable container (cotton shroud, cardboard coffin, untreated wood coffin: preferably with no metal hardware) and interred in a gravesite to decompose fully and naturally. Green burial bodies are often buried about 3.5 feet underground, as this is the ideal depth for decomposition. Markers are normally either a flat grave marker and/or something natural like a stone, engraved stone, etc.
- Cedar Brook Burial Ground: 175 Boothyby Rd, PO Box 511, Limington, ME 04049 - 207.637.2085
- Rainbow's End: South Orrington, ME - 207.825.3843 - joanhoward@att.net
- Burr Cemetery: A portion of this cemetery in Freeport has been established for natural burials. 56 Durham Rd, Freeport, ME 04032 - 207.865.3940 - dcstillkey@comcast.net
- Baldwin Hill Conservation Cemetery: Located in Fayette, ME. PO Box 261, Winthrop, ME 04364 - info@baldwinhillcemetery.org
- A list of all green cemeteries in the USA and Canada may be found here.
Family Cemetery/Burial on Private Property
People can be buried on their own property in Maine if you have established a "family burial ground." Contact your local municipality to learn how to accomplish this, as it varies by Town/City. This can - and usually does - take a bit of time, so it is highly recommended that you establish your family burial ground in advance of the need for it.
Direct Cremation
In short, a 'direct cremation" involves little to no ceremonial services. When time, the body goes directly to the crematorium. Many direct crematories will allow for a "witness cremation" in which the family can be present for the cremation if they wish, and may also be allowed to "press the button" to start the retort. (The chamber where the body cremation takes place) Offerings will vary at each location - please call in advance to determine which local crematories will work best for you. With the proper paperwork, you may transport the body to the crematorium yourself, and/or involve the crematorium for transportation.
An internet search for direct crematoriums will provide you with options, but here are a few:
- Cremation of Southern Maine: 177 State Street, Portland, ME 04101 - 207.907.7318
- Coastal Cremation Services: 471 Deering Avenue, Portland, ME 04103 - 207.699.6171
- Direct Cremation of Maine: 182 Waldo Avenue, Belfast, ME 04915 - 207.338.1433
Alkaline Hydrolysis (Water Cremation)
A more environmentally friendly alternative to cremation, it is a water-based dissolution process for human remains that uses alkaline chemicals, heat, pressure, and sometimes agitation to accelerate human decomposition. (aka: Aquamation, Green Cremation, etc.)
- Direct Cremation of Maine: 182 Waldo Avenue, Belfast, ME 04915 - 207.338.1433
- Aquamation Services of Maine (for pets only): 3 Southgate Road, Unit 1, Scarborough, ME 04074 - 207.303.0126 - kathy@aquamationservicesme.com or cade@aquamationservicesme.com
Whole Body Donation - Medical School
Oftentimes, when a body is donated to a medical school, the school will pay for transportation and cremation of the body. (This varies by school and program) The following schools provide this service for Maine residents:
Body Donation - Non-Academic
There are companies that will pick up a body at no cost to you and use it, or parts of it, for research, testing, etc. When they have finished with their research and testing, they cremate the body and return the ashes to the family.
- New England Donor Services: This organization coordinates organ and tissue donation in the six New England states and Bermuda.
Burial at Sea
A full-body burial at sea is expensive and strictly regulated. The EPA Burial at Sea regulations may be found here.
- Equinox Island Transit: 120 Tillson Ave, Rockport, ME - 207.236.6890 or 207.691.1637 - jmorin@equinoxtransit.com
- New England Burials at Sea: Serving Maine to Miami and San Diego to Seattle. Captain Brad White - 877.897.7700 or 617.966.1986 - oceanburial@aol.com
- Diver Ed: Bar Harbor, ME - 207.288.3483
Scattering cremated remains in the ocean can be done by anyone but the Federal Clean Water Act requires that cremated remains be scattered at least three miles from shore.
Scattering Cremated Remains/Ashes
No section of Maine State Law regulates the scattering of cremated remains. As a general rule, be respectful, discreet, and get permission if you want to scatter ashes on someone else's property. As stated in the "Burial at Sea" section the Federal Clean Water Act requires that cremated remains be scattered at least three miles from shore.
Natural Organic Reduction (NOR) - Human Composting
NOR is a process that gently transforms human remains into soil in about 4-6 weeks. The process uses large vessels to hold human remains which are combined with straw, wood chips, and other natural materials. Generally, NOR creates one cubic yard of soil per body, and families can either take the soil home once the process is complete or can donate some or all of the soil to conservation efforts. As of June 2022, NOR was legalized in Vermont, however, there are no facilities operating in the state at this time. It may soon be legalized in New York state, and it is my understanding that there are people standing by, ready to establish functioning facilities as soon as possible, once legalized. NOR is currently legal in Vermont, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington state. Many of the currently operating NOR facilities will accept bodies from anywhere in the United States, however, you will be responsible for transporting the body - or arranging the transportation of the body - to the facility. NOR facilities in the US include:
- Recompose: 4 S Idaho Street, Seattle, WA 98134 - 206.800.8733 - info@recompose.life (This organization is planning to open a second facility in Colorado by the end of 2022)
- Return Home: 4146 B PI NW, Auburn, WA 98001 (Mailing: PO Box 1801, Auburn, WA 89071) - 206.888.HOME
- Earth (serves only Oregon & Washington): 4620 B St NW, Suite 102, Auburn, WA 89001 or 7600 SE Johnson Creek Blvd, Portland, OR 97206 - 877.327.4109
Compassionate Composting is a service in Maine that composts pets, including horses and other large animals. They will pick up your pet from your home or veterinarian's office, and by request place your pet in a private burial pile and will return their composted remains to you for use in landscaping, flower beds, etc. ( 576Trapp Road, Auburn, ME 04210 - 207.240.1316 - whistleridge@ roadrunner.com
"Traditional" Burials and Cremations
First, "traditional" care for our dead was caring for our dead at home. Our current well-known method of caring for our dead via a funeral home/embalming/etc. is a fairly new development in the grand scheme of things. (Civil War)
You will notice that the above list of resources does not include our now-known "traditional" methods of services provided via a funeral home. I did not include them here, as I am confident that most everyone is familiar with these options. If you do opt to utilize a funeral home for the care of your dead, I encourage you to familiarize yourself with the Federal Trade Commission's "Funeral Rule."
The FTC Funeral Rule includes the following:
- Funeral homes must provide accurate, itemized price information and other disclosures about funeral goods and services. (Unfortunately, at this time funeral homes are not required to include their itemized price information on their website, however, we are hoping this will soon change. If pricing is not available on their website (it probably won’t be) then you will need to call the funeral home(s) to request this information. They may require you to go to their facility to pick up this price list. It is highly recommended that you shop around as pricing may vary dramatically within the same town/city/county. Again, it is best to procure this information before the actual time of need.)
- Funeral homes are prohibited from misrepresenting legal, crematory, and cemetery requirements.
- Funeral homes are prohibited from embalming for a fee without permission. (Embalming is NOT required by law nor for a viewing – if a funeral home tells you that it is required for a viewing, they should be clarifying that this is their policy and not the law. Shop around for a funeral home that will allow you to view the body without embalming, if this is what you want.)
- Funeral homes are prohibited from requiring the purchase of a casket for direct cremation.
- Funeral homes are prohibited from requiring consumers to buy certain funeral goods or services as a condition for furnishing other funeral goods or practices. (For example, you do not need to purchase a casket from the funeral home as part of their services. You can purchase one elsewhere, have one made, or make your own.)
- Funeral homes are prohibited from engaging in other deceptive or unfair practices. (For example, stating that embalming is the law or necessary for public safety, etc.)
- Violators/violations of the Funeral Rule may be subject to penalties of up to $43,280.00 per violation.
Regarding full-body burial: Concrete vaults are NOT required by law. The vaults are, however, often required by the cemetery for the sole purpose that the vault prevents the sinking of the ground as decomposition occurs, which makes landscaping easier. (Lawn-mowing, etc.) The same applies regarding vault requirements for the burial of cremains: cemetery policy, not a lawful requirement.
You may be able to find a funeral home that is willing to work with you for a "hybrid" funeral. This might be something along the lines of having a home funeral/vigil, but having a funeral home transport the body, and/or fill out the paperwork, etc. You will likely have more success in this with a family-owned funeral home. You may need to specifically inquire if a funeral home is family owned, as many of them "appear" to be family owned (in name, etc.) but are actually now owned by large corporations.