A NEW 'green' crematorium could be built and opened in a small Tendring village after plans were submitted.
Tendring Council is set to consider a proposal for a new detached eco-friendly crematorium in Wrabness.
If approved, the building work would take place at Oakfield burial ground in Ash Street and would be situated to the south of the already-approved chapel of rest building and ceremony hall.
Although not as well known, green crematoriums are a growing-in-popularity alternative to burial and flame-based cremations.
John Acton submitted the application for the new green crematorium to Tendring Council, three decades after putting in for permission for an alternative green burial ground at Oakfield Wood
He said: “The world has got to stop using fossil fuels.
"With solar panels which will provide the energy, this is a very low carbon footprint way of disposing of bodies in a nice way.
"I would rather be put in a box than put in flame.
Green cremations use a process called aquamation which achieves the same end result as a flame cremation without burning any fossil fuels.
As well as this, no harmful greenhouse gases are emitted and the overall process uses 90 per cent less energy than traditional cremation.
Also known as alkaline hydrolysis, aquamation involves using water and potassium hydroxide.
The body is placed in a pressure vessel which is then heated up.
In turn, this leads to carbohydrates, proteins, fats and minerals being reduced to basic organic components.
After approximately three or four hours, only bones remain which are then ground down into an ash, placed into an urn and given to the deceased’s family.
Over time, this method has grown in popularity and has become more widely-used.
“It was a Scottish guy who came up with the idea, but Americans and Canadians made it popular," added Mr Acton.
"It’s not illegal in the UK, we just need permission from the council.
“It’s a win-win situation for everybody, really. I don’t think it’s fair that families have to wait four to five weeks to have a cremation.”
Tendring Council will decide on the plans.
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