Kingborough Council approved the use of section of the North West Bay Cemetery for natural burials at the recent Council Meeting.
Acting Mayor, Clare Glade-Wright said having a section of the cemetery dedicated to environmentally friendly burials was what a lot of people were seeking.
“Natural burials involve burying the deceased in a way that promotes natural decomposition and minimises harm to the environment,” Cr Glade-Wright said.
“Choosing a natural burial means that a person is buried without the use of chemicals and that any coffin, if used had to be free of plastic and be biodegradable.
“There are a few Councils in Tasmania that have natural burial cemeteries, with Burnie City Council being the first to allow this practice in 2016.
“Graves for natural burials are dug to a depth of one metre (to allow greater decomposition of the body by worms and soil bacteria), as opposed to a depth of 1.82m in a traditional grave.
“There has recently been an increase in community interest in wanting a natural burial in Kingborough, and this is partly prompted by our Community Services teams and the very informative sessions held about death and dying.
“Given the community interest for natural burials it is appropriate that Council provides a dedicated site to enable the practice, which we have now decided will be at North West Bay cemetery.
“Council is open to looking at our other cemeteries and whether they would be good sites for natural burials.”