500KG OF SCRAP METAL AFTER CREMATIONS:

Half a tonne of scrap recovered from cremated remains

MORE than half a tonne of metals collected from cremated bodies was sold off by Geelong cemeteries last financial year, amid record demand for cremation services.

The Geelong Cemeteries Trust 2018-19 annual report revealed it had made almost $9000 in charitable donations through its program recycling surgical metals and metallic remains of coffins and caskets.

“The Trust takes part in a ‘Recycling of Metals Following Cremation’, with 555kg of metals collected and recycled in 2018-19,” the report noted. “All funds raised from the program are returned to charities nominated by the Trust with approximately $8421 being distributed by the Trust during reporting period.”

The state-run recycling program collects and ships the metals — including medicalgrade stainless steel, titanium, tungsten and cobalt chrome — to Dutch recycling company Orthometals.

“The decision to recycle surgical metals remaining after cremation is an environmentally responsible one, and the fact that all proceeds raised are donated to charity, means recycling can have both an environmental and a broader social impact benefit,” information from the Trust notes.

The recycling boom came amid record numbers of cremations during the 12 month period — with the Trust performing 1781 cremations in 2018-19.

For the first time, cremations accounted for more than two-thirds of services provided by the Trust, while burials sunk to a five-year low of 886.

“The Trust provides its services to a regional population of approximately 330,000 people with the regional death rate in 2018-19 remaining around eight deaths per thousand of population with the cremation rate increasing to 66.5% (previously 63.4%) of funerals provided by the Trust,” the annual report noted.

Cut-price cremation services have helped spark the rising demand, according to the organisation.

“The increase in the total number of cremations following the introduction of a ‘NotSame Day’ cremation service in September 2016 has continued in 2018-19 with ‘Not-Same Day’ cremations being approximately 80% of the total cremations for the year.”

The Trust had its worst operating result since 2013-14, with a $149,333 surplus.