ESCONDIDO, Calif. (KGTV) – From the outside, it may look like a typical cremation chamber. But inside, it's much different.
White Rose Aqua Cremation in Escondido is the first facility in California to offer aquamation directly from their facility. It's being touted as the green alternative to cremation, which uses 95% water and 5% alkali to speed up the natural decomposition process.
"It will start to heat up for a couple of hours," David Perfito, the Crematory Manager, said. "The water will get warm. It will start a gentle flow of alkaline water, and it will break down the tissue."
Archbishop Demond Tutu, who passed away in December, was cremated the same way. The cremation facility said families in San Diego are also expressing interest in this process.
"Most people, it seems, are concerned about the environment and concerned about our pollution," Perfito said.
It's also much cheaper than a traditional burial though it is a little more expensive than flame cremation. At White Rose Aqua Cremation, services can run from a little more than $2,000 to more than $5,000, depending on the package that's chosen.
The facility said like burials, families can watch the process as they have viewing windows available.
