Ashes to Ashes, Flush to Flush: Belgium Considering Dissolving Rather than Burning Bodies

Belgium will soon be giving people a funeral more befitting deceased goldfish than people. Undertakers are planning to dissolve dead bodies in caustic solutions and then flush them into the sewers.


In addition to space limitations, the government notes that 573lbs of carbon dioxide are released by each cremated corpse. The solution, they insists is to dissolve rather than to burn the bodies.

Under the process, known as resomation, bodies are treated in a steel chamber with potassium hydroxide at high pressure and a temperature of 180c (350f).

This beats Stockholm’s idea of warming homes with burning bunnies.

Sources: Daily Mail

24 thoughts on “Ashes to Ashes, Flush to Flush: Belgium Considering Dissolving Rather than Burning Bodies”

  1. You’re worried about the nutrients from the process going back into the water supply? You don’t drink poo do you? Those are nutrients. The sewer treatment plants use microorganisms and other sterilization techniques to handle the waste that comes their way.

    Anyway, sign me up. I don’t enjoy breathing your grandma or mine. Yes, I realize every method has a pitfall. But this is definitely the SAFEST disposal method in terms of sanitation and pathogen treatment…… and it is more environmentally friendly too?? WHAT A BONUS!!! This process has been placed in almost every state-of-the-art animal research facility in the US for a reason. hello!

  2. I know of a much better way to eliminate carcasses of people, rather than wasting precious land on cemetaries or filling the air with the noxious byproducts of cremated bodies.

    The procedure is called thermal depolymerization, and is now reached a stage where it is considered practical.

    Thanks to this wonderful discovery, human bodies, road kills, euthanized animals, other biomass, old tires, and waste plastic, rather than being landfilled, can be recycled. Such refuse as noted above could be transported to a local thermal depolymerization plant and then converted into useful oil, to be utilized for creating fuels, synthetic rubber, and plastic.

    Check it out:

    http://www.changingworldtech.com

  3. Elaine,

    That’s what the Dutch are proposing, just a different company. Although I’m not really sure what remains having DNA has to do with anything.

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