ICCM calls for more environmentally friendly graveside tributes

Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management (ICCM) has called for mourners to leave more environmentally friendly graveside tributes.

This comes after the company found that leaving plastics, oasis flower blocks and cellophane by graves and memorial plots was having a negative impact on the environment.

ICCM members spend up to five hours per week disposing of floral tributes, including broken plastics, wire, and ribbon.

More permanent tributes such as vases and ornaments but these are often made of materials that can get broken during grass cutting or due to the effects of the weather.

Some members have even resorted to giving up on having recycling bins on site, as waste wasn’t being separated correctly, leaving all the waste to go to landfill.

Julie Dunk, chief executive of the ICCM said: “We’d like to open the conversation about memorialising in a different, more environmentally friendly way that is also considerate to wildlife. Understandably, the environment isn’t high on the priority list when you’re dealing with loss, and while big floral tributes with say, ‘mum’ or ‘dad’ on are lovely, heartfelt gestures, and solar fairy lights look pretty, their impact on the environment needs to be rethought.

“Thinking about where your flowers are sourced from, and buying from local small growers and businesses instead is far better for the environment. Talking to anyone about their personal tributes to their loved ones is always going to be a sensitive issue, and we often hear about cemetery ‘tidy ups’ upsetting people when tributes are removed. That isn’t the intention.”

She added: “The ICCM supports members to provide quality services to bereaved people, so they can be reassured the cemetery or crematorium they choose meets a level of service, which includes spaces that are welcoming and befitting for mourning and quiet reflection. Being environmentally conscious about memorials will help cemeteries and crematoria memorial gardens stay well maintained and more pleasant to visit.”

“We don’t want to dictate exactly what people can and can’t leave on a grave or in a memorial garden. We would just highlight that environmentally friendly alternatives are available and ask that these are considered when making a choice.”