no such cemetery existed in Yvelines

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Pay attention to his ecological footprint even after switching to the left, it is now possible in Yvelines, and more precisely in Neauphle-le-Château.

This municipality is the first in the department to have a natural cemetery. An idea from Mayor Élisabeth Sandjivy, after learning of this concept, which has existed for ten years now in Niort (Deux-Sèvres), a pioneer in the field.

Opening in 2025

The idea is to offer a alternative less polluting to conventional burial. “Of course, it will not replace it for those who do not want it,” specifies Stephen Charlieu, deputy mayor responsible for Roads, Building Maintenance and Green Spaces.

A plot, in the extension of the Neauphle-le-Château cemetery, has been set up for this purpose. A hydrogeologist visited the site to determine whether this project was likely to pollute groundwater. Everything is in place and he has given the green light. The work has just been completed and this space will open in 2025.

No vault or tombstone

Environmentally friendlyequipped with wooden fittings and a composter, with curved lines which break the rectilinear effect of the cemetery, the result is natural.

In this ecological cemetery, there will be no vault or tombstone. The body will be returned to the earth. A family commitment charter has already been developed.

“The deceased will receive little or no conservation care. He will be dressed in clothes made of natural fibers, linen, cotton, hemp, etc. As for the coffin, it must be made of biodegradable materials: either untreated wood from a French forest with certified solvent-free varnishes, or cardboard. »

Three coffins per grave

Some 18 emplacements 2 m by 1 m have been planned. Each grave can be arranged to accommodate three coffins. To identify the graves, a local limestone, identical for all in order to harmonize the place, will be engraved with the name of the deceased.

For ornament, only fresh flowers cut can be placed in the single vase made available by the City. “The family can personalize their grave by planting plants, but not just any plants,” warns Stephen Charlieu.

Thirty-year concessions

“For example, the exotic species or invasive are not authorized, continues the elected official. Families must comply with the plant palette established by the City with plants that tolerate reasonable watering. »

The concessions are attributed to the Neauphléens at the time of death for thirty years. For the cremationsfourteen locations are provided for the ballot boxes.

An additional offer

In addition to being ecological, this natural cemetery is economic. The cost of the funeral would be halved. Good news for families, less so for funeral directors and marble workers.

“That’s why we talk with them and meetings are organized to reassure them. THE traditional cemetery does not disappear. 36 additional urns have just been created at the columbarium. It’s simply an additional offer to the classic burial,” insists Stephen Charlieu.

The elected official still thinks that the phenomenon will grow in France. “In Niort, the demand is such that a new plot of 5,000 m² will be developed. Other municipalities, like Neauphle-le-Château, are starting to follow. I think that in the future, new funeral habits will take precedence and we will have to adapt. »

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