Key aspects of natural burial in Tasmania:
Council approvals:
Natural burials on private land require approval from the landowner, the local council, and the Director of Public Health.
Specific locations and options in Tasmania:
Paul Bibby from the Byron Echo says: Have you every thought that, rather than being buried in a fancy lacquered coffin, or contributing to carbon emissions through cremation, you’d prefer to be buried naturally and help to nourish the bushes and trees?
Well this may become a realistic option in the Byron Shire in the next few years.
A motion put forward by Greens Councillors Michael Lyon and Jeanette Martin, proposes looking for a suitable parcel of council or privately owned land to create a natural burial ground.
‘We are all just the stuff of stars…it’s a shame to waste it by sending it up a chimney or burying it deep in the ground,’ says Diane Hart, a member of the Natural Burial Ground for Byron Shire Community Group.
‘Our bodies are a valuable resource should be returned to the earth to continue the cycle of life.’
Long-term locals may remember that this concept has been discussed within the community for at least two decades.
During this time, natural burial grounds have been established in Lismore and the Gold Coast.
Ms Hart said the latest push for a similar area in the Byron Shire began in 2016 when former Greens councillor Duncan Dey put expressions of interest out to private land owners on behalf of the community.
In 2017 fellow Green and current Mayor Simon Richardson reportedly indicated his support for the idea.
The urgency presented by the challenge of climate change has now brought renewed energy to the project.
‘It has now become apparent that the way our bodies are disposed of has also become a critical point of discussion,’ Ms Hart said.
‘Current cremation and traditional burial practices are unsustainable. This is coupled with the fact that we are running out of space in our cemeteries for traditional burials. Now is not too soon for Council to be seeking better options.’
Cremations .... Currently, about 80 per cent of people in Australia are cremated. Often this is the preferred option because of cost and lack of choice.
However, a normal cremation will produce about 160kg of carbon into the atmosphere according to a report from the South Australian Centennial Park Authority – the majority from burning the coffin, but also other toxic substances such as dioxins and heavy metals like mercury.
Burials ... Cemetery burials potentially have an even greater impact on the environment than cremations. The process of embalming the body involve the use of formaldehyde – a known carcinogen that seeps into groundwater and the atmosphere.
The wooden coffin is usually lacquered, plastic lined and held together with toxic glues.
Furthermore, most modern headstones are made from granite shipped from China. In addition is the added environmental impact of the construction of roads and infrastructure in cemeteries and the ongoing maintenance of the site. (UN study 2007).
Complications ... But setting up a natural burial ground is not without its challenges. As the council staff report accompanying the motion notes, the process of being buried in this way currently requires permission from multiple authorities.
‘A person who wishes to bury the body of a deceased person without a coffin or casket in a general case or in a particular case must seek the approval of the Chief Health Officer or delegates including the Director Health Protection or the Public Health Unit Director or Public Health Officer of the Public Health Unit of the Local Health District,’ the report notes.
‘Wrapping of the body must be in at least four layers of cotton/linen sheeting which is able to prevent the leakage of any body exudates or substances. ‘The body must be contained in a coffin until the body is placed into a grave.’
‘The body of a deceased person who is known or is reasonably believed to be infected with a prescribed infectious disease must be buried in a coffin for public health reasons.’ ‘The body must be prepared in a mortuary registered with the NSW Ministry of Health.’
- No chemical preservatives: Bodies are not embalmed or treated with chemicals, allowing for natural decomposition.
- Biodegradable containers: Coffins or shrouds are made from biodegradable materials like wood, bamboo, or fabric.
- Shallow graves: Graves are typically dug to a shallower depth (around 1 meter) to facilitate decomposition by soil organisms.
- Natural burial sites: Dedicated areas or bushland burial sites are being established within existing cemeteries.
- Bushland burials: In Tasmania, bushland burials involve placing ashes or burying the deceased in a natural setting within a bushland area, often with the option of planting a native tree or shrub.
Natural burials on private land require approval from the landowner, the local council, and the Director of Public Health.
Specific locations and options in Tasmania:
- Burnie City Council: The Burnie City Council was one of the first in Tasmania to permit natural burials within its cemeteries.
- Kingborough Council: The Kingborough Council is considering designating a specific area within the North West Bay Cemetery for natural burials.
- Kingston Cemetery: A bushland burial site exists at the Kingston Cemetery, offering a natural and environmentally sustainable option.
- Geeveston Public Cemetery: This cemetery in Tasmania is a NDAN Natural Burial Ground.
- Contact a funeral director or DEATHdoula DEATHmidwife to assist with planning.
- Consult with the relevant local council and the Director of Public Health for approvals, especially for burials on private land.
- Consider the specific requirements of the chosen natural burial site.
PLEASE NOTE: While some Councils "permit" natural burials the discretion afforded to a General Manager (AKA CEO) is inappropriate beyond public health and legal issues and even then their capacity and expertise is challengeable – indeed wide open to challenge.
GMs/CEOs are not, and should not be, the enforcers of any kind of cultural imperatives nor should they be afforded any form of cultural expression. IF your cultural sensibilities and sensitivities are at odds with your Councils and the Director of Public Health, write to:
- The Minister for Local Govt and the Shadow Minister; and
- The Minister for Health; and
- Your local Mayor and ALL Councillors; and
- Your local State Govt parliamentary members
If a GM/CEO and/or a Director of Public Health acts as if she/he is a self-appointed arbiter of “appropriateness”– cultural appropriateness – they deserves to be confronted with as many “inappropriate” transgressions as possible. Some things are obvious when it comes to leadership. Leaders have to be a great communicator, have very high integrity and have tremendous perseverance and stamina. Without it they are usurpers that need to be called out!
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Paul Bibby from the Byron Echo says: Have you every thought that, rather than being buried in a fancy lacquered coffin, or contributing to carbon emissions through cremation, you’d prefer to be buried naturally and help to nourish the bushes and trees?
Well this may become a realistic option in the Byron Shire in the next few years.
The bushland cemetery site in the Lismore LGA. Image Lismore Bushland Cemetery
The council will discuss setting the wheels in motion to establish the Shire’s first Natural Burial Ground at tomorrow’s full council meeting (November 28).A motion put forward by Greens Councillors Michael Lyon and Jeanette Martin, proposes looking for a suitable parcel of council or privately owned land to create a natural burial ground.
‘We are all just the stuff of stars…it’s a shame to waste it by sending it up a chimney or burying it deep in the ground,’ says Diane Hart, a member of the Natural Burial Ground for Byron Shire Community Group.
‘Our bodies are a valuable resource should be returned to the earth to continue the cycle of life.’
Long-term locals may remember that this concept has been discussed within the community for at least two decades.
During this time, natural burial grounds have been established in Lismore and the Gold Coast.
Ms Hart said the latest push for a similar area in the Byron Shire began in 2016 when former Greens councillor Duncan Dey put expressions of interest out to private land owners on behalf of the community.
In 2017 fellow Green and current Mayor Simon Richardson reportedly indicated his support for the idea.
The urgency presented by the challenge of climate change has now brought renewed energy to the project.
‘It has now become apparent that the way our bodies are disposed of has also become a critical point of discussion,’ Ms Hart said.
‘Current cremation and traditional burial practices are unsustainable. This is coupled with the fact that we are running out of space in our cemeteries for traditional burials. Now is not too soon for Council to be seeking better options.’
Cremations .... Currently, about 80 per cent of people in Australia are cremated. Often this is the preferred option because of cost and lack of choice.
However, a normal cremation will produce about 160kg of carbon into the atmosphere according to a report from the South Australian Centennial Park Authority – the majority from burning the coffin, but also other toxic substances such as dioxins and heavy metals like mercury.
Burials ... Cemetery burials potentially have an even greater impact on the environment than cremations. The process of embalming the body involve the use of formaldehyde – a known carcinogen that seeps into groundwater and the atmosphere.
The wooden coffin is usually lacquered, plastic lined and held together with toxic glues.
Furthermore, most modern headstones are made from granite shipped from China. In addition is the added environmental impact of the construction of roads and infrastructure in cemeteries and the ongoing maintenance of the site. (UN study 2007).
Complications ... But setting up a natural burial ground is not without its challenges. As the council staff report accompanying the motion notes, the process of being buried in this way currently requires permission from multiple authorities.
‘A person who wishes to bury the body of a deceased person without a coffin or casket in a general case or in a particular case must seek the approval of the Chief Health Officer or delegates including the Director Health Protection or the Public Health Unit Director or Public Health Officer of the Public Health Unit of the Local Health District,’ the report notes.
‘Wrapping of the body must be in at least four layers of cotton/linen sheeting which is able to prevent the leakage of any body exudates or substances. ‘The body must be contained in a coffin until the body is placed into a grave.’
‘The body of a deceased person who is known or is reasonably believed to be infected with a prescribed infectious disease must be buried in a coffin for public health reasons.’ ‘The body must be prepared in a mortuary registered with the NSW Ministry of Health.’
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PLEASE CONSIDER THIS: Secular administrations have no business in determining cultural norms or how cultural sensitivities and sensibilities are respected. That said, secular administrations, in their role as 'placemakers' need to be mindful of the cultural dynamics in play within their jurisdiction. Clearly there are divisions between the secular cultural paradigms and arguably they are wafer thin, thus navigating a way through and between the mindsets is a fraught pursuit.
Natural burial grounds have enormous potential in providing 'places' what might well be understood as 'ecospaces', that is a space insulated from the aspirations of investment driven 'developers'. Such places afford communities, networks of communities even, opportunities to collaborate and cooperate in the fulfilment community aspirations. In a sense they should and could be musingplaces in the kind of way temples, churches, and museums are.
In a 'world' that has by-and-large become investment driven and thus filled with 'walled off places' – stock exchanges, banks, governments, etc – there is a need for places that are 'wallless' and arguably the languages of the so-called 'developed world' lack a word to describe such places. It is a concept that was grappled with at Southern Cross University circa the late 1990s. A word that gained some currency was 'nudgelbah' and in a kind of way the Cataract Gorge, The Tarkine, and Mt kunanyi might well be standing exemplars for such places.
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