New crematorium plan revealed

Plans have been submitted for a new ‘Gentle Way’ crematorium in an industrial unit at Clontarf.

The development application (DA), has been lodged with Moreton Bay City Council, for the unit at 12 Cameron St.

It would provide a “low cost” alternative to human cremation or burial, without leaving an environmental impact.

The Gentle Way System is a “new product, designed to ensure there are no emissions from the process of alkaline hydrolysis of bodies”.

Publicly available on Council’s website, the DA says it could “operate in the backroom of any funeral parlour as the whole process is self-contained and no disposal into the sewer system”.

Alkaline hydrolysis “mimics” the natural process of decomposition when a body is buried and alkalinity in the ground breaks it down.

The Gentle Way system involves placing the body in a stainless-steel chamber, adding warm water and artificially raising the alkalinity of the water.

When the process if finished, liquid goes into the site’s wastewater treatment plants, is filtered back to PH neutral and reused.

Remaining bone fragments are dried, processed into powder, put in an urn and returned the family.

The DA does not involve The Gentle Way Pets, but does include pets should the applicant later wish to relocate the human operation and replace it with pets.

Public notification of the application has opened and submissions can be made until November 22.