Chatham Cemetery Commission Considers Allowing Green Burials

By: Tim Wood/The Cape Cod Chronicle

CHATHAM – The cemetery commission is considering allowing “green” burials in a section of the South Chatham Cemetery.

The environmentally friendly internment option involves burying remains without a concrete vault or embalming. Bodies can be buried in a shroud or a biodegradable container, depending on cemetery regulations.

Currently only a few cemeteries on Cape Cod allow green burials. Last week, the cemetery commission met with Sophia Sayigh, a cemetery commissioner from Brewster, where green burials are allowed in Brewster Memorial Cemetery, to learn more about the concept.

“Essentially it’s burial without a vault or a grave liner,” she said. “Everything going into the ground is biodegradable.” Read more ⇒