Sustainable practices approved at Vancouver’s Mountain View Cemetery

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – It seems it is possible to focus on sustainability, even when it comes to burial services.

Vancouver City Council has approved enhanced sustainable burial practices for Vancouver’s Mountain View Cemetery.

Council has given the green light for by-law amendments at the city’s only cemetery.

The goal is to make the most of the land and to encourage sustainable options when it comes to funerals of loved ones.

The cemetery has allowed the re-use of grave space, but new by-laws would expand on this practice in order to ensure future burial needs can be met.

The changes take effect on January 1st, 2020 and will now allow families to acquire partial rights to a spot with additional rights licensed by the cemetery to another person or family.

In the past, by-laws also limited the number of caskets to two within 40 years. But new changes would allow the cemetery to set out new conditions that could allow additional caskets or remains to be added to spaces in a shorter time frame.

This means graves can be shared by people who are not from the same family, with up to three people sharing the same spot.

The cemetery also offers other sustainable burial options, with the option of not using concrete or burial vaults. Families can also choose to use biodegradable materials when it comes to covering or holding the body.

Mountain View Cemetery is owned and operated by the City of Vancouver since 1887.

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