People in Scotland urged to stop scattering ashes of loved ones at beauty spots

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Scots have been called on to stop scattering the ashes of their loved ones at beauty spots around the country.Climbing and mountaineering organisation Mountaineering Scotland has warned that spreading ashes can damage soil by altering its chemical composition.

As reported by the Scottish Daily Express, people wishing to scatter remains have been asked to instead do so on lower slopes to reduce the risk of altering soil, or consider burying them instead.

Ashes can include a high concentration of salt and phosphates, which can combine and harm plant life.Over the last few years, there has been an increase in the number of cremations taking place within the UK, which has resulted in calls for ashes to be disposed of in a more environmentally friendly manner.

Mountaineering Scotland has stated that the country's outdoors should remain free from human-made intrusion, and be kept as natural as possible.The organisation commented: "On a number of very popular mountain summits that are used repeatedly for the scattering of ashes one of the significant effects that has been observed is stimulation of plant growth that can be attributed to both phosphate enrichment and changes in pH [acidity/alkalinity]."So, when considering your chosen spot for the disposal of your own ashes it might be worth avoiding the really iconic mountain tops, by opting instead for a corrie, a certain point along a ridge, or beside a particular tree on the lower slopes of a mountain."It is worth bearing in mind, however, that ashes do not have to be scattered.