What To Do With Ashes After A Cremation

Thinking about what to do with your loved one’s ashes after the cremation? Or perhaps you’re thinking about your own funeral arrangements and what to do with your ashes when you pass away? It’s a very personal decision to make. And one you may need to discuss in more depth with close family members before coming to a decision. To help you explore all your options, we’ve outlined different ideas of what to do with ashes below. It’ll help you narrow down your options or potentially give you some ideas that you might not have considered before.

What to do with a loved one’s ashes

Interment of cremated ashes

Ever heard of interment? It’s when someone’s cremated ashes are buried or put in a permanent place like an urn or a columbarium. Simply put, interment is when a person’s ashes are put in their final resting place. But this can be done in several ways. Here are the different options you might want to consider before deciding on what to do with someone’s ashes:

1. Bury the ashes in a cemetery

Whether the person who passed away was religious or not, there are lots of options to have their ashes buried in a cemetery. Some cemeteries might have areas dedicated to the burial of ashes as well as recommended memorials to put in place. Alternatively, you might like to have your loved one’s ashes buried close to other family members in the same cemetery. Make sure you speak to your funeral director or the cemetery owner to see what your options are.

2. Bury the ashes in a garden of remembrance

Sometimes a physical place to visit can provide some comfort when coping with the loss of a loved one. So, burying a loved one’s ashes in a garden of remembrance or memorial garden is a good option if you’d like somewhere to visit to pay your respects. Lots of crematoriums have their own gardens where the interment of ashes is allowed. Whether this takes place shortly after a funeral service or any time later, there’ll be lots of options when it comes to choosing a memorial for your loved one that feels fitting for them. This could be anything from a simple plaque to a small headstone.

3. Bury them in a natural burial ground

For those who’d prefer a more eco-friendly option, burying ashes in a natural burial ground is a good choice. There are more and more natural burial grounds across the UK and the owners will guide you on the most environmentally friendly way to store ashes before their burial. You might also be able to help the surrounding wildlife by adding a memorial tree to the grounds – some people find this is a more apt way to remember someone who was eco-conscious.

4. Bury them on private land

You could bury a loved one’s ashes on private land as long as you own the land or get permission from the landowner. This could be your garden at home. Or it could be farmland that belongs to your family. It’s a good way of keeping a loved one close. But keep in mind that there are some regulations that you’ll need to follow to stay within environment agency guidelines.

5. Place the ashes in a columbarium

A columbarium is a designated space where cremated ashes are stored in urns. They’re usually in mausoleums, or in separate area in cemeteries and crematoriums. The urn will be placed in its own alcove (sometimes knowns as a niche) and can sometimes be covered with a plaque that’s engraved with the person’s name or a message in memory of them.

Scattering ashes

Scattering someone’s ashes is an increasingly popular option in the UK. It can be a more personal way of saying goodbye because you choose to scatter the ashes in a location that was important to the person who passed away. Just make sure you get the permission you need before scattering ashes in a public place. For all the info you need read our guide to scattering ashes.

Storing ashes

Of all the ideas of what to do with ashes storing them at home is another popular option. You could keep them somewhere special in your house in an urn of your choice. There are lots of memorial urns to choose from that can be personalised in any way you like. Or you could choose to store the ashes in something less traditional – for example, you could have some ashes turned into a piece of memorial jewellery.

4 unique ideas of what to do with someone’s ashes

Still not sure what to do with ashes after a loved one’s cremation? Here are some more unique ideas that’ll give you some inspiration:

Was your loved one a fan of being by the sea? Scatter their ashes in the water after a walk at the beach. (Just make sure you don’t leave anything behind that isn’t biodegradable).
Have a memorial teddy bear made in memory of them and place some of their ashes in a sealed container inside the toy.
Get a unique piece of art made in their memory. You could either ask the artist to include the ashes within the material itself or ask them to make a spot where the ashes could sit.
Was your loved one a garden-lover? Have a garden sculpture made in honour of them and scatter some of their ashes in the soil nearby.

Funeral Choice is a free platform where you can find a funeral director. You can also access resources on funeral planning and bereavement in our funeral advice centre.