THE borough’s only independent funeral director chain is experiencing such a demand for environmentally friendly burials it has started selling coffins made entirely out of old newspapers.

The Harold White group, which has parlours in Old Church Road, Chingford, and in Hoe Street and Wood Street in Walthamstow, says the coffins are as robust as wood versions, but degrade quicker and produce less toxins if cremated.

Made up of 120 tabloid-sized papers, the coffins can hold weights of up to 30 stone and even the handles are made out of jute – a plant material which is also entirely biodegradable.

Gary Clugston, company manager of Harold White, said he expected a high demand for the coffins. He said: “We’ve started to see a real trend in recent years where families want burials to be more environmentally friendly.

“It’s not just with coffins but also burial sites, such as the popularity of the Woodland Burial Park in North Weald where people can be buried among trees and bluebells.

“People are a lot more aware of environmental issues and want to reduce their carbon footprint. Traditional wooden coffins are biodegradable to a point, although they take far longer to degrade.

“We already sell coffins made of willow, bamboo, sea grass and banana leaf and they are getting more popular.”

The range, which the parlour sells in funeral packages which start at £2,700, comes in a choice of eight environmentally-friendly colours made out of pigments which also degrade quickly.

There could even be a choice over what newspapers are used.

Mr Clugston added: “I suppose if the person wanted to it might be possible to be buried in a coffin made entirely out of the Waltham Forest Guardian – we always try to do everything we can to help families with any requests they might have and I’m sure it could be done.”

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