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The days of burying your dear deceased pet in the backyard may be over thanks to a new body disposal method called “aquamation.”
Also known as alkaline hydrolysis, the process involves quickly decomposing a corpse in a stream of water and alkaline chemicals, leaving only liquid and bones.
The liquid, known as “effluent,” can go down the drain with other wastewater and bones that can be ground to ash for the bereaved to take home.
Aquamation now offers an environmentally conscious alternative to burials and cremations, which burn a lot of fuel and emit greenhouse gases.
In the US, it’s not only performed for pets, but also for human bodies – and soon Scotland could be the first place in the UK to do the same.
A Seattle company called Resting Waters offers aquamation from a dead pet for up to $550 (£430), depending on size. In the photo, a company employee pours water into the aquamation machine built by Bio-Response Solutions
Pictured is a pet aquamation at The Green Mortician, the first pet water cremation service in the city-state of Singapore
A Seattle company called Resting Waters offers aquamation from a dead pet for up to $550 (£430), depending on size.
It claims to provide “genuine compassion and care for your deceased companion” using the “gentle and eco-friendly water process.”
“Aquamation is more like natural decomposition than any other method,” the company says on its website.
“At the end of the process, your companion’s physical components will have reverted to their natural elements, dispersed in water — with only the solid bone left, pathogen- and disease-free.”
Aquamation uses water, alkaline chemicals, heat, and sometimes pressure and agitation to accelerate natural decomposition, leaving behind bone fragments and a neutral liquid called effluent.
The effluent is sterile and contains salts, sugars, amino acids and peptides, but no tissue or DNA remains.
This effluent is discharged along with all other wastewater and is a welcome addition to the water systems, while the remaining bone can be ground up for the owner to take home and lay to rest, just like ashes.
Resting Waters charges anything from $90 (£70) to aquamate the smallest animals to $550 (£430) for the larger ones, which about the same as a traditional cremation.
Another company called The Green Mortician is the first pet water cremation service in the city-state of Singapore.
It costs up to SG$1,377 (£810) for the largest pets, she says website, but this includes extras such as a bamboo urn for the bones and a ‘2D paw print’.
According to the Atlantic Oceanaquamation has about one-tenth the environmental impact of flame cremation, which requires a lot of fuel.
In the US, aquamation is performed not only for pets, but also for human bodies – and soon Scotland could be the first place in the UK to do the same
Also known as alkaline hydrolysis, this process involves the rapid decomposition of a body in a stream of water and alkaline chemicals, leaving only fluid and bones (pictured)
Joe Kam, one of the founders of ‘The Green Mortician’ grinds the bones of cremated pets using aquamation using a machine in Singapore
A pet owner says goodbye to her poodle at a memorial service at Singapore’s ‘The Green Mortician’
Cremation is bad for the environment because large amounts of carbon dioxide and other pollutants are released into the air.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the average cremation produces about 535 pounds of carbon dioxide, which is equivalent to driving a car for about 600 miles.
Another traditional option is burial, but the problem with this is that it often takes years for the barrel containing the pet to break down in the ground if it’s made of metal or plastic.
Even if the barrel is compostable, such as a pine box, the decomposing corpse usually does not have a healthy impact on the soil and can often prevent grass and plants from growing well.
Funerals also take up green space and may be impossible for owners who don’t have their own yard or are not licensed to bury in shared green space.
Those who want to bury their pet in public places of honor are often hampered by long waiting lists and high costs.
While the price of aquamation is still out of reach for some pet owners, it may drop as the technology becomes more popular.
Some companies hope that it will become a prominent body disposal solution not only for pets, but also for humans.
Water cremation involves placing a body in a steel vessel with an alkaline solution that accelerates the body’s natural decomposition, turning everything but bones into liquid that can be poured down the drain
Aquamation offers an alternative to cremation and traditional burials on land (pictured), which can compete for cemeteries
In the US, human aquamation is legal in 28 states, according to Reuters, though not every state has the technology to carry it out.
Interest in water cremations increased after Archbishop Desmond Tutu opted for an environmentally friendly process for his remains following his death on Boxing Day 2021.
British company Resomation, which builds the machines in West Yorkshire, has previously said that ‘dozens’ of UK crematoria have expressed interest in installing the technology.
The Scottish Government is also looking into regulations that would allow the process to be introduced ‘as soon as possible’.