What is cremation? pensive cremation container, often referred to vary from $800 to over $3,600, depending on Cremation is the process of reducing the as an “alternative container.” Or you can make the funeral home selected. If you use the funer- body to ashes and bone fragments through the or furnish your own suitable container instead. al home for visiting hours, funeral or memorial use of intense heat. The process usually takes service, the charges will be higher. You should Can a casket be rented for viewing? from two to four hours. The cremated remains take the time to shop around for the best prices. Many funeral homes will rent an attractive are then pulverized to break up larger bone casket to families who want the body present How do I “shop around”? fragments to a granular texture. for visitation or service before cremation. After All funeral homes must give prices over the How popular is cremation? the service, the body is transferred to an inex- phone, or give you a copy of their General Price The number of cremations in the United pensive container for cremation. Rental caskets List if you come to the door. You can save time States has steadily risen from about 15% of often cost around $800 however, so you might by viewing our online Price Survey at www. deaths in the mid-90s to almost 50 percent in consider using the less expensive alternative fcagr.com. There, you can compare prices for 2014. Cremation is often chosen because it’s container and draping it with an attractive multiple funeral homes and make an informed more simple and economical, allows more flex- cloth, a quilt, or a flag. decision. Likewise, before choosing a cemetery, ibility in funeral and memorial services, or uses call several to ask their price for a grave site or Must I buy an urn? less of our land resources than traditional earth columbarium, and the charge for interring the No. Some funeral homes will urge you to burial. remains or placing them in a niche. Or you can purchase a decorative urn, but you may simply check the Cemetery Cost sheet on our website. Which religions permit cremation? use the plain container in which the ashes are Most religions do. Canon Law now permits returned from the crematory. The cardboard What can I do with the remains? cremation for Roman Catholics, but the remains or plastic container is perfectly adequate for You have a wide range of choices. They must be buried or entombed, not scattered burial, shipping, storing, or placing in a colum- can be put in a niche in a columbarium, bur- or kept. Muslim, Greek and Jewish Orthodox barium. ied, scattered, or kept by the family. Cremated faiths forbid cremation, as do some fundamen- remains might be divided among family What is “Direct Cremation”? talist Protestant groups. members to be kept, sprinkled or buried in With this affordable option, the body is cre- several different places (i.e. with a first and Must I hire a funeral director? mated shortly after death, without embalming, second spouse). The ashes are sterile and pose Yes. New York State law requires that you viewing or visitation. You will find descriptions no health hazard. Their disposition is generally use a funeral director. Only a licensed funeral and prices for direct cremation clearly stated on not regulated by law. director is permitted to transport a body and to the funeral home’s General Price List.  Place in a columbarium file some of the required documents. How much does cremation cost? Cremated remains can be placed in a Is a casket required? The actual cremation process is relatively columbarium niche, often located in a mausole- No, a casket is never required for crema- inexpensive; local crematories charge $250 to um within a cemetery. As an alternative, you’ll tion. However, most crematories do require about $300. The funeral home adds its charges find that some churches provide niches in a that the body be enclosed in a rigid, combus- for the necessary paperwork, basic services, dedicated area inside the church or in a garden tible container. Under federal regulations, all transportation, and a container. The cost for a wall. funeral providers must make available an inex- direct cremation, including crematory fee, will  Bury in a cemetery while the ship is deployed, the family cannot You could choose earth burial in either a be present. Also, many coastal regions have regular grave or in a special urn section in a businesses that will scatter the remains at sea cemetery. Some cemeteries will permit two or for you, or will rent their boat for a scattering three containers in an adult-size grave; others ceremony. While federal regulations technically allow only one container per grave. Some (un- require cremated remains to be scattered at necessarily) require that you purchase an urn least three miles out from shore, the Environ- vault. mental Protection Agency does not enforce this Cremation regulation with private individuals.  Bury on private property Explained You may bury the cremated remains on  Keep at home your own land, or on another’s property with You might prefer to place the remains in • • • the owner’s permission. If the cremains are to a container special to the deceased, such as a be buried other than in a cemetery, they should hand-carved box or favorite vase, and display Answers to Frequently be removed from the container when interred. it on a bookshelf or mantelpiece. Or you could Keep in mind that unless you have established buy a decorative urn from a funeral home or Asked Questions a family cemetery on your property, the land cemetery; prices range from several hundred to may be sold for other purposes, and the re- several thousand dollars. mains disturbed or rendered inaccessible.  Other choices  Scatter on land Every year brings new ways of memorial- Some cemeteries offer sites for scatter- izing a loved one’s cremains. Incorporating the ing, but you may disperse the remains almost ashes in jewelry, bullets, space rockets, coral anywhere as long as you are discreet. Scattering reefs, or fireworks are among the possibilities. of cremated remains over an area with special Check the internet for more details about these significance for the deceased appeals to many and other options. families, and is legal in most jurisdictions. How can I transport the remains? Although some commercial firms will scatter Cremated remains may be mailed or car- the cremated remains for a fee, most families ried by hand to another destination. For mail- want to do it themselves. Remains that are to be ing, they must be placed in an inner container Funeral Consumers Alliance scattered should be processed by the crematory within a padded outer container. If you are of Greater Rochester to reduce all fragments to fine particles. taking them on a plane you should leave them 220 Winton Road South  Scatter at sea Rochester, New York 14610 in the box just as it came from the crematory, (585) 461-1620 • www.fcagr.com Military personnel and retirees, veterans with the official documents attached. Security and dependents may have their remains scat- requires that they be x-rayed, so they must be tered at sea free of charge by the Navy or Coast Dedicated to protecting a consumer’s right to choose in a non-metal container. a meaningful, dignified, and affordable funeral Guard. Since the ceremony will be performed © Funeral Consumers Alliance of Greater Rochester 1/15