While Hong Kong’s real estate woes bedevil the living on a daily basis, it may come as a surprise that the dead aren’t immune either.
With a lack of space and an aging population placing a strain on the availability of niches for storing cremated remains, the city’s government yesterday announced a registry for those seeking so-called “green burials,” in which the deceased’s ashes are scattered either at sea, or in designated “gardens of remembrance.”
Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan today announced the launch of the registry at the new Kwai Chung Garden of Remembrance.
According to the registry’s website, niches used to store cremated remains are rarely reused, constituting over time “a severe drain on our scarce land resources, to an extent even worse than residential units for the living which are recycled through generations of inhabitants.”
By signing up to the registry, Hongkongers can make their wishes for a green burial known, with the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) following up if a deceased person is identified as having been registered at the time their cremation is booked.
In an effort to promote green burials, the government administers 12 gardens of remembrance and provides free services for those who wish to scatter loved ones’ remains at sea. However, Hongkongers have proven reluctant to embrace green burials.
Fewer than 10 percent of people chose green burials, according to a 2015 government study, with much of the reluctance rooted in tradition and religious beliefs. However, some funeral service providers have said that a lack of communication between children and parents about death is also hampering the uptake.
