DALTON, Mass. — The Cemetery Trustees will hold two informational sessions surrounding green burials at Ashuelot Cemetery. 

 

These sessions will take place at the Dalton Senior Center on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 1:30 p.m. and Thursday, Sept. 18, at 6:30 p.m. with the goal to explain what green burials are, answer questions, and receive suggestions from residents.

 

During the town meeting in May, voters approved allowing the Cemetery Trustees to create rules and regulations to govern green burials at Ashuelot Cemetery.

 

According to the nonprofit Green Burial Massachusetts, green burials, or "natural burials," are a way of returning bodies to the earth after death without a metal casket, burial liner or vault, or embalming. 

 

The trustees' proposal is that a body may be placed directly in the ground in a biodegradable casket, such as wood or coffin, or only wearing a biodegradable cloth shroud or clothing.  

 

Green burials would only be allowed in a designated section of Ashuelot Cemetery, Section GB. They will be delineated by barkers or decorative fencing to separate it from the main area. 

 

However, those who want to be buried next to a family member or partner in a separate section of the cemetery will be allowed to have a green burial, if space allows, using a vault with an open bottom. 

 

The next step for the town is determining a prudential care fee of $750 to ensure the area is properly maintained as the ground settles during the decaying process.