What Happens If You're Buried Without A Casket?

Burials are becoming a thing of the past. Despite historical cultural and religious resistance to cremation in the West that has only slowly relaxed, the practice now commands more than 60% of funereal services compared to just over 33% for burials (per the National Funeral Directors Association). By midcentury, it's anticipated that over 80% of deceased persons will be cremated rather than buried.

Despite changing preferences, however, traditional and religious attachments to burial remain for many. It can provide living loved ones with a greater sense of closure and provide a cornerstone for a ceremony. But even as they endure among a shrinking yet sizeable minority, the burial has seen changes. There's been a rise in what's been called "natural" or "green" burials — that is, a burial without a coffin or casket.

The difference between a natural and traditional burial isn't quite that simple. No casket often means no preservatives or embalming fluids, no tombs, and no suits for the deceased made of non-biodegradable fabrics. For many, a natural burial is a chance to be eco-friendly even in death. Per the Lincoln Heritage Funeral Advantage, the body goes into a bio-degradable container, is buried, and quickly decomposes, quite literally returning to the Earth.

There are some obvious appeals to a green or natural burial over the traditional method. It preserves the ceremonial aspects of sending off a departed loved one with their body intact for the ceremony and, for those with a mind to environmentalism and good stewardship of the land, sees to those needs as well. For those whose spirituality is rooted in nature (no pun intended), it may even result in a deeper, richer funeral.

And then there's the practical considerations. Funerals are expensive. Per the National Funeral Directors Association, the average cost of a funeral that includes a traditional burial and family visitation comes to $7,848. Folded into that is the price of the coffin, the embalming of the body, and the actual burial. By contrast, the Lincoln Heritage Funeral Advantage estimates the cost of a green burial as ranging between $1,000 and $4,000, significantly less expensive.

The key word there is "burial." A green burial's cost is just for that: putting the body to rest. Getting the body to the burial plot, and any details of the ceremony, are not included. But if a green burial is done outside of a religious tradition or another standardized system, one could presumably arrange a farewell at a figure that still brings the total in under $7,000.

There may be personal, ecological, and economic reasons to opt for a natural or green burial over a traditional one. But before you commit to going out that way, you might want to check the legal or regulatory status of the practice. It turns out that green burials aren't always welcome.

Per Wujek-Calcaterra & Sons Inc, the federal government does not regulate green burials in the United States. No state mandates a coffin as a prerequisite for having a burial. But some states have regulations stipulating details of putting the body to rest. Per Return Home, four states (California, Georgia, Maryland, and Washington) require a grave that's at least three feet deep, and that it be a certain degree of distance from a water source (how far varies by state).

Away from government, individual funeral homes and cemeteries may impose barriers to green burials. Not all funeral homes have the resources to facilitate such burials, and some cemeteries set their own rules for what they will and will not allow buried on their grounds.

Embalming and casket burials don't prevent the human body from decaying after death. The decomposition process gets underway within four minutes of our last breath. Embalming is meant to slow down that process, not stop it altogether. Titan Casket claims that a body embalmed, sealed in a casket, and buried in a dry environment will slowly decompose down to the bones over possibly decades. And the material of the coffin and its lining could dry out the decaying body, letting it mummify and preserve a little longer still. But the process is inevitable.

Without a casket to keep out soil, moisture, insects, and bacteria, and without the embalming process, it should come as no surprise that a green burial would see the body decay faster — but not quite as fast as you might think. The early stages of decomposition — rigor mortis, bloating, and putrefaction – all happen within the first few days to months. After that, it's a gradual process no matter what, assuming animals don't get to the body to pick it clean. Buried out of reach from any hungry or investigative animals, a human body in a green grave could be expected to skeletonize within five years according to Live Science.