Cremation is one of the most common methods for disposing of a deceased's body in Australia. This is done by placing the body inside a purpose built cremator for 1-2 hours and exposing it to extremely high temperatures. The final 'ashes' are then collected in a container and given to the family.
How long does cremation take? The entire cremation timeframe — including any waiting period, authorization and the actual cremation — can take anywhere from four days to two weeks from start to finish. The cremation itself takes about three to four hours, with another one to two hours for processing.
Under normal circumstances the cremation is carried out shortly after the service. However when a service takes place late in the day, or there is an equipment failure, the cremation can take place the next morning.
Bodily remains must be suitably enclosed in a coffin, container or receptacle for cremation. Remains can be collected within 2 working days of cremation. A right of interment and interment authorisation must be in place before cremated remains can be interred.
Is the coffin cremated with the body? Yes. The coffin is cremated with the body and nothing can be removed from the coffin after committal.
In most cases, people are cremated in either a sheet or the clothing they are wearing upon arrival to the crematory. However, most Direct Cremation providers give you and your family the option to fully dress your loved one prior to Direct Cremation.
Only one body can be cremated at once, and all cremated remains must be cleared from the cremation chamber before another cremation can begin. These standards do mean that you may have little input into any 'customization' of a cremation process.
The only parts of the body that are removed before cremation are artificial ones like a medical device or implant with a battery, silicone, pins, radiation pressurization, pacemakers, and large hip, knee, and shoulder replacements along with any external jewelry.
The common misconception about cremation is that it is not possible to have a visitation, wake or more formal services. Visitations are not only allowed before a cremation; they are a popular and appropriate choice for many families.
What's really returned to you is the person's skeleton. Once you burn off all the water, soft tissue, organs, skin, hair, cremation container/casket, etc., what you're left with is bone. When complete, the bones are allowed to cool to a temperature that they can be handled and are placed into a processing machine.
Because the crematorium needs the death certificate before they can cremate the body, this delays the process and is built into the waiting period. Some states also delay the cremation timeline in specific causes of death.
If you are concerned that the ashes will smell after the cremation, the answer is no. There is no odor emitted from ashes that have been properly cremated. Even over time, you shouldn't expect any particular smells to develop. If anything, certain cremation containers will simply emit a slight incense-like smell.
The processing of the fragments generates a uniform, pale grey to dark grey powder which is usually similar in texture and appearance to coarse sand. The cremated remains of an adult male will usually weigh around six pounds while the remains of an adult female will be closer to four pounds.
Yes. In most cases the body is cremated as soon as the service has finished. The only exception to this would be if the funeral service is late in the day or if there is some problem with the crematoriums facilities.
Cremated remains weigh about four pounds and are returned to the family in a boxy, usually black plastic, temporary container—if you don't buy or find an urn.
Since all of the organic matter is burned away during cremation, this is why ashes can last (almost) forever - or at least for our entire lifetime. Bones are still DNA and scientists believe that DNA has survived for about one million years.
Ashes are heavier than some people expect
How heavy the ashes are will depend on the person who's died. Men and young adults have the most solid bones. Women, children and elderly people's bones are usually less solid. So the overall weight of the ashes will depend on the person's age, height, gender, and health.
People are often surprised by how much cremated remains they get back after a body has been cremated. All bones are left they do not evaporate. The bones are then reduced in size to a granular consistency. The cremated remains of an adult typically weigh between five and eight pounds.
The remains of an average size adult usually weigh between four to eight pounds of cremated remains.
Yes. Mixing ashes is a common process known as “commingling.” Commingling means that the couple's cremated remains are mixed, or “mingled” together in an urn, most often a companion urn.
The body does not feel pain during cremation because the person is no longer alive. When a person dies, their brain stops sending signals to the body. This means that the person cannot feel pain or any other sensation.
Yes, watching a cremation is allowed. The specific guidelines depend on the rules established by your mortuary or crematorium. Because there are no laws around witness cremations—the specific term for cremations that are viewed by witnesses—each facility is free to make and enforce its own policies.
"The Church raises no doctrinal objections to this practice, since cremation of the deceased's body does not affect his or her soul, nor does it prevent God, in his omnipotence, from raising up the deceased body to new life."
The reason you won't see black smoke billowing from a cremator's chimney? All crematoriums have to adhere to emissions regulations, so there are actually two burners: one for the coffin and one to burn off all the smoke, gas and CO2 released from the coffin, which is then dispersed at 15m.
“You can go around any crematorium around town and 90 percent of the time you will not see any smoke as this is usually caused because the deceased person is obese, there is equipment failure or it is too hot because of a malfunction of the retort,” Dickey said.