IN a bid to encourage environmentally friendly burials, the city’s civil affairs bureau has proposed rewarding Shenzhen residents who choose ecological burials for their deceased family members, the Shenzhen Economic Daily reported yesterday.
The subsidy is 3,000 yuan (US$467) for a sea burial and 1,000 yuan for other forms of ecological burials, according to a draft recently released by the bureau that is soliciting opinions from the public.
The proposal temporarily targets Shenzhen residents with household registration. It also encourages citizens to take part in the activities around ecological burials free of charge.
In addition, the procedure to apply for the subsidies has been simplified. Qualified applicants will receive the subsidies once the materials are reviewed and verified, according to the bureau.
Residents and institutions can submit their suggestions to the civil affairs bureau by sending an email to swc@szmz.sz.gov.cn before June 10.
It has been reported that since the city first adopted ecological burials in 1998, a total of 39 sea burials have been held in Shenzhen and the ashes of 36,500 bodies have been thrown into the sea, saving more than 40,000 square meters of land.
In 2017, Shenzhen took the lead in opening the sea burial platform for inland cities, such as Guiyang. The city has also exempted people from paying more than 130 million yuan in fees for funeral services.