Paris will be offering ecological inhumations this autumn

Soon, the French capital will be offering concrete-free burials in wooden chests

Paris has just created a site for ecological burials. A former military campus, the 1.560 square metres area is located at the Paris cemetery in Ivry-sur-Seine and will allow the mourning families to say final their goodbyes to their relatives in an environmentally friendly manner. As deputy mayor in charge of green spaces and burial affairs Pénélope Komitès says, there will be no concrete constructions or gravestones and the deceased persons will be laid down in carton boxes or wooden chests, non-polished, made out of French trees. Instead of gravestones, the city of Paris will provide wooden stelae where the names of the deceased will be written. Furthermore, the mourning families are expected to adhere to a charter for respecting the environment.

As France Bleu points out, this type of burial, apart from being environmentally friendly, has the side-benefit of being more financially sound. At 20% less for the reservation of place (or 294 euros instead of 376 euros over 10 years), the cost should appeal to more people. According to the French newspaper, so far there have been 157 concessions open and the first burials are set to take place this autumn. In addition, a similar but larger zone is being prepared in Thiais cemetery which should offer up to 2,000 places.

*the image is illustrative