A coffin with a flower arrangement in a morgue
Approximately 2.8 million Americans die each year. If a loved one has died or you are planning your own funeral, the type of burial that you choose is an important consideration. Alongside traditional burial, cremation has become popular in the United States in recent decades.
In this blog post, we will look at cremation vs burial and provide you with relevant information to help you make an informed decision. We will look at the advantages of cremation and burial, their average costs, and their environmental impact.
What Are the Advantages of a Burial?
Burial has long been the traditional way to say goodbye to a loved one. There is a permanent gravesite that allows family members and friends to visit. While cremation is largely accepted within Christianity, groups such as the Catholic Church still say that the preferred option is burial.
What Are the Advantages of a Cremation?
Compared to burial, cremation is usually more affordable. The ashes of the deceased are portable and can be kept in urns or scattered in different places. There is always the option to bury the ashes as well if desired in the future.
Cremation is often considered more environmentally friendly than burial and reduces the amount of space required for cemeteries.
What Are the Average Costs?
The average cost of a burial in the United States is approximately $6,500, whereas a cremation typically costs just one-third of this price. The exact cost of either a burial or cremation can vary greatly, depending on the type of funeral that is held and the different ceremonies and customs observed.
When you choose a cremation, for example, you do not have to factor in expenses such as the casket, cemetery fee, gravesite, and cost of the headstone. This is undoubtedly one of the benefits of cremation.
What Are the Environmental Impacts?
It can be difficult to say definitively which option is more environmentally friendly. One study determined that burial has a 10% higher environmental impact than cremation in the long run.
The burning of the body during a creation does carbon dioxide and a number of harmful air pollutants. On the other hand, most caskets used for burials are not biodegradable, embalming fluid is harsh on the environment, and gravesite maintenance requires heavy water usage.
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Cremation vs Burial: Making the Right Choice
At the end of the day, the choice between cremation and burial is a personal one. The above information can help you to make a decision. You may also wish to consider your religious beliefs and speak to other members of your family.
Both of these options can include religious observances or traditional ceremonies, as desired by the deceased and/or their family.
Like this blog post on cremation vs burial? Be sure to check out our other informative articles on a wide range of interesting topics.
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