Crematorium Owner's Information

The death care industry has grown exponentially in recent years. CANA predicts that cremations in America along with other countries will reach over 50% in the upcoming years. With advances in modern medicine and health care, we see an abundance of medical devices and post-cremation metals that survive the cremation process. These include titanium implants, pins and screws from the casket, pacemakers, and dental alloys. Since cremations are executed at an average of 1600 degrees Fahrenheit, these devices and metals survive the cremation process. The death care industry was under the impression that burying such metals or just disregarding such cremation metals and devices was the correct method of disposal. Years ago, there was not nearly the volume of metal surviving the cremation process. The proper method of disposal is cremation recycling. As a crematorium/ funeral home owner, you need to be aware of the environmental effects of burying these post-cremation metals. Post-cremation metals are not biodegradable and can have serious, negative ramifications on the environment. According to the EPA, under title 40, such metals are classified as a “heavy metal.” These metals containing significant amounts of gold, silver, platinum, and palladium must be handled and recycled in an environmentally-friendly manner. The dental alloys survive the cremation process and contain these precious metals. Cremation recycling has become a hot topic in the past three years. Which company is qualified at handling such post-cremation metals? Chicago Direct Refiners is the only metal refinery that is EPA compliant and has over 40 years of experience in the precious metal industry.