In the book Stiff, by Mary Roach, she shares her experiences in learning about the different disposal of bodies. The book explains that beyond a natural burial and cremation, bodies can also be disintegrated into the Earth or even turned into a tree. Although there are many alternative methods for the disposal of a body, cremation has less environmental concerns, is quicker, and is not as much money compared to most methods; therefore cremation is the most reasonable disposal of a body.
Stiff explores different ways to dispose bodies such as tissue digestion, but compared to cremation, it seems to be more environmentally concerning. In Stiff, it is said that during the digestion process, “Everything other than bone has liquified and disappeared