SEK 100 million is collected annually to recycle metal after cremations.
The money goes to the general inheritance fund, but a group within the church wants the money to go to funeral services instead.
– All funeral directors in Sweden work very carefully to keep their business within the financial limits they have. But there are also some projects you don’t think you can afford, says Sten Janson (POSK), member of the church meeting.
Hip prostheses, fittings from coffins and gold teeth. After a cremation, the ashes may contain several kilograms of metal, such as cobalt, titanium and gold. In a motion to the church meeting, it is now requested that revenues from these precious metals go back into the funeral business, with a particular focus on decorating burial grounds.
– All funeral directors in Sweden work very carefully to keep their business within the financial limits they have. But there are also some projects that you don’t think you can afford. It can be about, for example, beautifying a burial place, making it more accessible to different age groups, says Sten Janson (POSK), member of the church meeting.
Metal for 100 million
In the crematorium oven, it is approximately 900 degrees. Enough to turn bodies to ash but leave precious metals intact. Previously, the metal was buried, but in 2016 the law was changed so that it would instead be recycled and generates approximately SEK 100 million in revenue each year. The money today goes to the general heritage fund, which uses it for projects aimed at children, young people, the elderly and people with disabilities. The Allmänna Arvsfonden is administered by the Kammarkollegiet.
– Our ambition is to have a balance between the money that comes in and what is paid out. In the long term, this naturally means that if one hundred million kroner does not come in, the payments will be reduced by the corresponding amount, says Hans Andersson, head of the Kammarkollegiet unit.
Keep the funeral fee down
The petitioners say that the general inheritance fund has its income from estates and that the metal from the cremation should instead stay within the funeral business and supplement the funeral fee.
– This is a good thing for everyone. If the funeral business receives increased income, it means that the funeral fee does not need to be increased, which would affect everyone. This is a way to keep the development of the funeral fee down. I think everyone is satisfied and happy about that, says Sten Janson.