1. Starting off strong with the traditional ground burial
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Ground burials have long since been the most common methods of burial, and steeped in tradition. Usually you'd have a standard wooden coffin or casket, a plot prepared in your chosen cemetery, a gravestone made and the deceased then lowered into that hole six feet under.
2. Cremation is the popular alternative, too
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It's often a choice between cremation or burial for most people, as these are the two most common options. Some people prefer to be at one with the earth, while others would rather be turned to ash and either kept in an urn or scattered in a place that meant something to them in life.
3. You can actually have a tree burial
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Tree burial is a common practice in certain places of the world, notably the Philippines, where bodies are buried literally in a tree in order to protect it from wild animals getting to the grave site. A body will be placed, or embalmed, in the chosen tree trunk, or might even be wrapped and tied to branches instead.
4. Fancy being mummified?
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If you've always had a love for the way the ancient Egyptians do things, mummification is also an option - as it's actually become an acknowledged modern practice. In some cultures, if mummification is chosen, the body will be submerged in a tank of liquid to preserve it - or 'mummify' it.
5. Frozen in time with cryonics
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Most futuristic sci-fi films will show off cryogenics with some character frozen until they're thawed out as though no time has passed. It's believed that cryogenic freezing allows the person to be literally frozen in time and then revived one day in the same state, without any tissue damage. Needless to say, research is still being done.
6. Have your ashes turn into a memorial tree
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Instead of being buried under a particular tree you like, how about having one grown specifically to be mixed with your ashes? You can have your ashes planted in the soil alongside tree seeds, resulting in a very environmentally-friendly burial method that also provides loved ones with a tree unique to you to pay their respects.
7. Aquamation: water instead of fire
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As we know due to how scaly our fingers get after too long a bath, being bathed in water alters your body - and after death, it speeds up the deterioration process. This is why 'aquamation' - an alternative to being cremated - has become a burial choice, which is where you're bathed in water instead.
8. Eco-friendly decomposition
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Resomation is what's known as an eco-friendly way for the body to decompose, where it's placed in an alkali and water solution, then subjected to high pressure. This results in ashes made from liquid and bone which can then be recycled by using it to you know... pour into your garden.
9. Space burial: in a galaxy not too far away
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Whether you're an actually an astronaut or have always had a fascination with space, sky burial is a thing. You can pay to have your ashes launched into space (at a very high cost, of course) sent out there via a rocket. Pros? You're in space! Cons? It's very expensive, and very not-eco friendly.
10. Dissolution: for the Breaking Bad fans
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Dissolution is basically what you see most criminals doing in drama TV shows or movies with a body they need to dispose of - you can have the body placed in a tank of chemicals which will rapidly dissolve it and break down the cells. To make it even easier, limbs might be chopped off to more easily be fit in...
11. Have your body be an eco-friendly fertilizer
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If you'd really love to do something eco-friendly with your burial. why not have your body turned into a fertilizer for loved ones' plants? Through a process called promession, the body can be frozen in liquid nitrogen which then turns it into a powder that be used to spread on soil.
12. Plastination: a Madam-Tussauds-like attraction
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If you were tempted by mummification but there was just something missing, then plastination might be the one for you. In a similar process, the body is dried out and kept only as tissue to be preserved. The extra step here is then to turn the body into something like a plastic mannequin (often use for educational tools for science).
13. Sky burial: let nature do its thing
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Sky burial might sound like something magical that makes you think of fluffy clouds, but it's a bit more grim. Sky burial is when your body is left out in high places like mountaintops so that it will attract wildlife to be eaten, and to rot naturally out in the elements.
14. Memorial diamond: get turned into a girl's best friend
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If you'd rather be a glittering piece of jewelry than food for vultures, you may want to go down the memorial diamond route. This is a result of human ashes or hair of the deceased person being pressurised (just like how diamonds are made) which can then result in a keepsake.
15. Hanging coffins: for those not afraid of heights
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This method of burial was a very ancient practice, whereby the deceased body placed in a coffin or casket would then have that casket hung from the side of a high cliff - usually with the coffins piling up on the side of it - though it begs the question how anybody managed to get them safely up there!
16. A sea burial: popular with sailors
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If you don't have thalassophobia, then maybe you want to consider this one. Popular with people who spend their lives at sea - or maybe even die out at sea - a sea burial sees your body usually wrapped in a cloth and then sent out onto the water in a small wooden boat.
17. A burial at home: for a very, very close family
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Some cultures see people keeping their deceased relatives' bodies at home with them, in some cases even mummified and sitting at the kitchen table. But generally a home burial can see a loved one buried in the back garden rather than at the local cemetery, as a way to still be close.
18. Organ donation: do some good even in death
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Body donation and organ donation are both other options for after death, as an educational tool for science or as a way to donate organs to people in need to help save lives. This option has become a popular choice for many with the growing advances in medicine.
19. Ornament: hang your ashes on the Christmas Tree
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We all know the rise of 3D printers and how they can make just about anything these days, and apparently the same goes if you're using human ashes. A process has been developed where using human ashes with a 3D printer can result in being turned into an ornament!
20. Help the coral reef by becoming part of it
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Thanks to global warming and human influence, we all know the coral reef is in trouble these days - a far cry away from the colorful place it once was. So if you want to try and help after death, you can actually have your ashes places in a natural reef mould and placed in the sea.
21. Become a sentimental portrait with your ashes
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If you don't think that an old photo of you, or even getting a professional portrait done, is enough to leave behind when you're gone, why not have your actual ashes mixed with the paint used for your very own portrait? This means not only will someone have artwork to keep, but it will literally be a piece of you on their wall.
22. Fireworks: have your ashes light up the sky
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If you like the idea of your ashes being shot in a rocket to space but it's a little too far away for your liking, how about into the nearby sky in a firework? All that happens is your ashes are added to a firework which is then lit and set off and the firework (and you) will light up the sky.
23. Vinyl compression: one for the music lovers
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This can be a great idea for someone who's life passion has been music, or if they want to leave something special behind for a music lover. You can actually have your ashes compressed into a vinyl record, which you can choose to be a favorite song, or any song you'd like a loved one to be able to play.
24. How about a biodegradable urn?
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If you do want to choose to get cremated the old-fashioned way with a memorial urn to place your ashes in, you might want to go one better by having an urn that can help the planet instead of sitting on the mantelpiece. A biodegradable urn means it can be used to help nurture plants or soil.
25. The burial pod option
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Also known as the 'Capsula Mundi', you can keep the above option in mind, but instead of being cremated and then placed in an urn, you instead have your ashes placed in a burial pod which is then planted in a place of your choosing - ideally underneath something it can help to grow!
26. The Infinity Burial Suit
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It might sound like something out of Marvel, but this option is actually very eco-friendly. Also known as the mushroom death suit (which sounds worse, let's be honest) you can have your body buried in this suit which helps to have your nutrients return to the earth.
27. Human composting
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It may sound a bit grim, but which of these options doesn't, let's be honest? Yes, you can choose to have your remains composted instead. This process is a way to provide a more green alternative to traditional burial. The body will be broken down more quickly, and can then be used as nutrient-rich soil.
28. Cave burials
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This isn't a done practice anymore (that we know of) but there have been proof of Neanderthal cave burials done in a ritualistic way. Skeletons have been found buried in caves and set into certain positions, as well as being surrounded by stones or grains at the site.
29. Become an artistic glass sculpture
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You can have your ashes mixed in with the paint for a piece of artwork, or turned into a piece of jewelry, but how about having your ashes used to create a glass artistic sculpture instead? A better option for those who like to have an artistic standing piece rather than on the wall.
30. Body exposure
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This aboriginal funeral culture is similar to the sky burial logic, where bodies are placed on scaffolding so that they can be exposed to the elements. The body is left covered in leaves and branches to disintegrate, and then when only bones are left, they're painted red.