To not believe the funeral parlour

[Youvegotafriendinme]

My DM passed 2 weeks ago and we have her funeral and cremation next week. My DDad has been told by the funeral parlour we are using that absolutely nothing can go in her coffin with her (all wedding rings and jewellery removed and we can’t put in photos etc.) as the coffin is scanned and anything not ‘body or clothes matter’ is detected and the cremation will be stopped and we could be fined.
This doesn’t sit right with me and I just don’t believe them. We cremated my DH grandad last year and we put things in the coffin.
How do I go about finding out if this is true? I’d be so upset if I found out they were lying. She wanted to be wearing certain jewellery and pictures of all her grandkids to take with her

Our local crematorium retrieves hip replacements and other orthopaedic metalware post-cremation and sells it to a scrap metal dealer and then donates the proceeds to the local hospice. Good idea imo.

Papers should be fine as they would burn.

Anything combustible or toxic (plastics for example) would not be okay due to environmental issues.

Jewellery would not melt, so there is a risk that they could either be added to the wrong set of ashes or they could be stolen. If you want jewellery to be with the ashes, it would be better to remove them, keep them safe and place them with the ashes for keeping/before burying.

I’m sorry for your loss OP but I do t see the point of leaving jewellery to be cremated or, to be honest, dressing up the deceased in fancy clothes.

My mum was cremated in a cotton shroud (environmentally friendly) and would have had a cardboard coffin if we’d been able to source one in time.

She hated the idea of good money being spent on, in her own words, an empty shell that doesn’t contain me anymore.

Sorry for your loss

We recently had FIL cremated and we were allowed to put photos, letter and pics the kids have drawn. They even snuck in a small teddy that dh bought fil when he was a child, it wasn't supposed to go in there but the funeral director said he would hide it in there for us

I would definitely double check they have it right because I've never heard of pics etc not being allowed to be put in

The funeral parlour here has beautiful boxes to keep the ashes in, perhaps you could have something like that and keep the jewellery and pictures in or next to it.

Certain plastics etc. are not permitted because of environmental regulations relating to emissions.
There is a company manufacturing environmentally friendly coffin handles and embellishments next door to a factory I visit for work, so you wouldn't necessarily have to have metal ones that require removing.

I'm very sorry for your loss, Youvegotafriendinme

To the PP who mentioned reusing coffins, I really don't think this is true - at least I hope not. I thought it was said that those being cremated had to be in a suitable container, and that they therefore have to stay inside a coffin which also gets consumed?

OP, you may not be in the frame of mind for this at the moment but this thread is incredibly interesting and actually very comforting

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/3264486-crematorium-technician-here

I don't have anything to say which hasn't already been said - I just wanted to send you hugs. Times like this are awful.

Sorry for your loss OP.

Nearly 40 years ago (so may be different now), I had a boyfriend who was a coffin maker; he told me that the handles on coffins were made of plastic and you'd never see an undertaker putting weight on them. He also said that they were removed before the furnace.

When my husband was cremated a couple of years ago we were allowed to put items in the coffin (photographs, scarf etc). His wedding ring was not allowed and nor were leather shoes.