Green burial in Hong Kong

Abstract

Green Burial is a burial method which uses biodegradable materials to entomb the dead body instead of cremating by using embalmed liquid. It aims to let the body return to the nature naturally. With an ageing population, there is an increase of demand on columbarium and niches in Hong Kong, and green burial has been introduced as a more sustainable option to bury the deceased. The current paper has summarised the official documents regarding the green burial programme proposed by the Hong Kong government. The reason why people do not prefer green burial may be due to the Chinese traditional belief and the lack of education. Methods of delivery of message and social media coverage are issues leading to people not being encouraged to use green burial. United States and Singapore develop improved approaches in performing green burial. The effect in promoting green burial services is evaluated in this study and recommendations on improving the way of promotion are proposed.