Having a deceased person cremated is often one of the simpler ways to handle their death. It's also one of the more affordable if you're not getting an ornate urn or having the cremains stored permanently in a nice columbarium. But if you don't want the ashes either and don't want to deal with scattering them, you don't have to take the cremains. You should tell the funeral home that, though, rather than letting the ashes linger for years.

The Funeral Home Can Dispose of Them

Many people do not want to pick up cremains. Sometimes they didn't like the person who died and don't want anything to do with the ashes. Other times, they are not in a position to deal with the ashes, such as when the person who would normally pick them up has a long-term illness. Other times, the deceased was actually the one to state that the cremains shouldn't be picked up and that the funeral home should dispose of them. When you arrange for the cremation, let the funeral home know that you don't want the ashes and why. If it was in the deceased's final wishes that the home disposes of them, tell the home straight away because the home may not realize what the deceased's plans were. If you simply don't want them, just say you won't be picking them up, and the home can do what they see fit with the cremains.

What if You're Told You Don't Have That Option?

You do have that option, no matter what anyone tells you. A good funeral home realizes that not everyone will pick up cremains. In fact, many homes have years' worth of cremains stored away that were never picked up, and for which the home never received instructions. In those cases, the home has to hang onto the ashes for a while and keep trying to contact the responsible parties. But if you give the funeral home the instructions to dispose of the cremains themselves, the staff there will do so.

Realize This Decision Is Final

The one caveat is that once you leave the cremains behind with instructions for the funeral home to dispose of them, that's pretty much final. Before the cremation takes place, you'll likely be able to change your mind if you decide to take the cremains anyway. But once the cremation happens, if the instructions are for the home to deal with the cremains, you can assume the home will dispose of them quickly. So, think through your decision thoroughly.

Contact a local funeral home to learn more about cremation.