Despite the Hollywood image of scattering cremated remains by throwing up a fine powder which drifts away on the breeze, scattering is more like disposing of several pounds of dry white rice mixed with several ounces of fine powder, and which, rather than drifting away, is more likely to fall to the ground in a heap.

Although they are sometimes called “ashes”, cremated remains are not ash. They consist of 6 to 8 pounds of bone fragments, which usually have been mechanically reduced to the texture of coarse beach sand and have a volume of approximately 200 cubic inches (about the size of a shoe box). This should be kept in mind when you are selecting a scattering site. You may wish to ask someone who is not a direct relative of the deceased to handle the actual scattering process because of the intense emotions that scattering sometimes brings up.

The federal government has regulations regarding the disposal of cremated remains, and many local jurisdictions require notification and permits, as well as restricting the area where remains may be scattered or otherwise disposed of. You will probably wish to confer with a funeral home, cemetery or crematory for current information about those regulations. Scattering on private property may only be done with the permission of the property owner.

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