If you prefer to keep your loved one's cremains in the plastic bag, you may do so. Otherwise, you can cut the corner of the bag to create a small hole through which the cremains can be poured.
In some cases, a funeral provider may put the ashes in the container directly. However, the plastic bag serves as a layer of protection for the ashes and helps minimize the chance of spilling them. Additionally, it can make it easier to transfer ashes to another vessel.
The crematorium usually returns the cremated remains in a cardboard or plastic container; this meets minimum requirements for inurnment in the cemetery. Classic urns, made of metal, bronze, or wood, can also be purchased from the cemetery or the funeral home.
Cremation ashes must be packed in a checked bag and placed in a special container. The container must be leak-proof and labeled "ashes." You will also need to provide the airline with a document that states the name of the deceased and the date of death.
The ashes should be in an air-tight non-metallic container – ideally just keep them in the container you received from the crematorium. If you plan to put them in an urn, then bring the urn separately for the journey, as some urns are difficult to x-ray and may not pass through security screening if they contain ashes.
How long do cremated ashes last? In theory, cremated ashes can last forever. Some funeral homes have ashes from the 19th Century that are still in their urns, and archeologists have been known to discover ashes that are thousands of years old.
You can choose to keep your loved one's cremation ashes in the home. This is an excellent option for people on a budget. You can put your loved one's ashes in a decorative urn and keep them on a shelf or in a display cabinet.
Perhaps you want to take your loved one back home for a memorial service, or scatter them in a special holiday spot, but you aren't sure if it's allowed. Well, the answer is yes. There are no legislative requirements in relation to taking cremated remains across Australia or overseas.
You must transport the ashes in a suitable sealed container inside your luggage. This container must be non-metallic if taken in your hand luggage so it can be scanned by X-ray at security.
The container you use to store ashes is completely up to you. If you're keeping them at home, you can place them in a simple, sealable box or container. You can have them sealed into a sculpture or piece of art. You can even put them in a plant pot or directly into the soil when you plant flowers, shrubs, or trees.
Choose a classic funeral urn or a modern urn for ashes
They can be permanent containers for cremated ashes if, for example, you want to keep the urn with your loved one's remains in your family home, a columbarium, or crypt. It might surprise you to learn that there is more than one type of urn.
Cremation Urns
However, even in the best conditions heat and moisture will creep in. The only damage this will do is to cause the remains to harden together and "clump" to some extent inside the urn.
In most cases, cremated remains are odourless. They may have a slightly metallic odour or some people say they smell somewhat like incense in some cases. However, it is common for ashes to have no distinct smell. Nonetheless, they can take on the smell of the container or cremation urn they are in.
You can either keep the ashes in a decorative, sealed urn, bury them in a small plot or memorial site, or scatter them at a special location chosen by you or your loved one. However, you will need to ask for permission if your chosen location is on public or private property.
Items that are not safe for the water or marine life are not permitted. What happens to ashes scattered at sea? Human ashes are like sand and they do not float. They will not dissolve in the water; instead, they will descend into the ocean until they hit the floor.
You generally don't need permission to scatter cremated ashes at most Australian beaches or coastlines. However, you will need to comply with local environmental protection authority guidelines.
Ashes (cremated remains) may be carried as checked or carry-on baggage. Ensure that the container used to hold the ashes is free from contaminants such as soil. The container and packaging for the ashes may be inspected or examined.
Cremation occurs at such a hot temperature all micro-organisms are destroyed, and the remaining ashes are inert. After cremation there are no public health risks associated with handling ashes.
However, it's important to remember that the Bible does not explicitly prohibit or endorse cremation or the keeping of ashes. Ultimately, the decision of what to do with the ashes of a loved one is a personal one, and should be made based on what feels right for the family.
While we might think that having the loved-one's ashes in a plain box or beautiful urn, displayed in our home, might be honoring, according to Feng Shui, it is not appropriate, because the energy of the deceased, which is held by their ashes, is Yin. It needs to be returned to the earth, or to water (Yin with Yin).
While finding DNA preserved in cremation ashes is possible, it's unlikely. Some companies offer services to see if a cremation ash sample would potentially hold DNA. Work with a cremation company with specific labeling protocols that they are willing and able to describe to you.
Can You Get DNA From Cremated Remains? Yes. DNA testing is often done on the bodies of the dead, even after they've been cremated. The immense heat of the cremation ovens breaks down the body's organic matter, leaving bone fragments and teeth behind as they don't disintegrate during the cremation process.
Also known as commingling, mixing cremated remains is illegal unless it is specifically requested by the deceased. This simply comes down to a matter of personal preference of the deceased. Most cremation chambers will not mix the remains of your loved ones—they'll usually leave that up to the family to do.
How to unseal a metal urn. If the metal urn is sealed with wax or adhesive, try to open it by soaking a cotton swab in fingernail polish remover or an epoxy solvent. Repeatedly run the swab along the sealed portion of the urn. You might have to wiggle the lid several times or use a flathead screwdriver to open the urn.