‘Sign me up!’ Britons are delighted that water cremations are coming to Britain

Aquamations is officially coming to the UK, as Co-op Funeralcare has confirmed it will offer the service later this year.

Also known as water cremations, the process involves quickly decomposing a corpse in a stream of water and alkaline chemicals, leaving only liquid and bones.

It offers an environmentally conscious alternative to burials and cremations, which burn a lot of fuel and emit greenhouse gases.

Following the news, several excited Britons have taken to Twitter to express their joy, with many saying ‘sign me up’.

“If water cremation is better for the environment, sign me up,” one user wrote.

Aquamation is said to reduce the amount of harmful carbon dioxide by up to 90 percent, compared to a standard cremation.

The process involves heating the body in a mixture of potassium hydroxide and water for up to 90 minutes, leaving only the bones.

These are then rinsed in the solution at 120°C (248°F), dried and pulverized to ash.

Those remains are given to the family to keep or distribute.

Meanwhile, the waste water from the process is discharged to the sewage system or used to fertilize plants.

Water cremations are already available in some US and Canadian states and parts of the Netherlands, Australia, Mexico and South Africa.

Now Co-op Funeralcare has announced plans to offer water cremations in Britain later this year.

In response to the news, one user tweeted, “FINALLY! This is what i want.

“Sign me up.”

Another added: ‘If it’s more sustainable and affordable, I think I’d be fine with a water cremation.

“Maybe adjust my funeral plans.”

While someone tweeted, “100% – would definitely choose this for myself and my family members if it was available.”

And someone wrote: ‘The new water cremation does not disappoint me at all.

“I don’t want to be buried and never have been.

‘If water cremation is better for the environment, sign me up.’

However, not everyone is so convinced.

One user tweeted, “Sounds horrible, more ecological madness,” while another called it “totally unacceptable.”

The introduction of aquamation in Britain will be the first time an alternative to burial or cremation will be available since the Cremation Act in 1902.

A poll for Co-op Funeralcare found that 89 percent of adults had never heard of resomation, but after an explanation, a third said they would choose it for their funeral.

Professor Douglas Davies, an expert on death rituals at the University of Durham, said: ‘The reduced carbon footprint that can come with resomation means it will be of interest to many people.’