Cash-strapped Brits are renting temporary coffins for funeral services before having their loved ones buried in cardboard, the Sun reported on Monday. Funeral directors say the cost-saving measure is becoming more popular as Brits struggle with a skyrocketing cost of living.
A temporary coffin is obtained for the day of the funeral and is returned afterward. The deceased is placed into a cheap and lightweight ‘inner’ coffin, which sits inside the rented casket. This outer coffin is then removed after the service, leaving the body to be interred inside the lighter one.
The average cost of renting a coffin is £250 ($312), the Sun reported, much below the £750 ($937) price tag for buying a casket outright.
“There are many ways to keep the cost of a funeral within a budget, while making it special,” a spokesman for the National Association of Funeral Directors told the British tabloid. “Provided it is clear what is being provided, this is one of several choices available that may assist families.”