Have you ever thought about your death and the impact that will have on your local environment or the significant costs involved? If you have then you are not alone.
Tweed resident, Charmaine Blanch, has started a Change.org petition calling on Tweed Shire Council to look at the option of a natural burial ground in Tweed Shire.
‘Currently, the closest natural burial grounds to the Tweed Shire are in Lismore NSW and Alberton, Queensland,’ explained Charmaine, who is a member of the Natural Death Advocacy Network that helps to set up Natural burial grounds all over Australia.
The reasons I would like to see a natural burial ground in Tweed Shire is that it is better for the environment and also it costs less.
‘Natural burial leaves minimal impact on the surrounding ecosystems. The body is clothed or shrouded in natural fibres without any chemicals. A casket or bearer that is biodegradable is used. This allows the body to decompose in a more natural way. There are no headstones. Flora and fauna is left to grow and prosper.
‘A natural burial ground enables us as a community to lessen our impact on the environment and paves the way for future generations to do the same.’
Old Chinderah cemetery
The Chinderah cemetery was closed in 1968 but Charmaine says this is a potential site for a future natural burial ground.
‘Chinderah cemetery has lots of bushland that could possibly be turned into a natural burial site,’ she told The Echo.
‘If we keep burying people the way we do we will run out of land and also have to clear too many trees. Natural burial means you can bury people between all the trees so there is minimal impact on the surrounding ecosystem system. There are no headstones and you can also bury people closer together than in a traditional cemetery.’
In other natural burial grounds there is often a feature wall, such as a rock wall, at the entrance that has plaques that state the names and dates of birth and death of the people who are buried at the cemetery. The GPS coordinates of where each individual is buried on the site are recorded.
‘The manner in which the bodies are buried means there are no toxic chemicals leeching into the soil as biodegradable caskets, shrouds and bearers are used in this process.’
Significant burial costs
The average burial plot cost is $7,369 to $13,213 at the Tweed Valley Eviron Cemetery while a natural burial plot at Lismore costs between $830 and $6,000 depending on the type of burial and Alberton, Queensland is $3,000.
‘I want to show the Tweed Council how they can lower the cost for burial while still making money for the shire,’ said Charmaine.
‘I believe the council could also sell carbon credits in the future to help with the maintenance of the cemetery.’
If you are interested in finding out more about natural burial sites take a look at the Natural Death Advocacy Network website or go to the Chage.org site and add your name to the petition to demonstrate to Tweed Shire Councillors that a natural burial site is a possibility for Tweed.
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