New garden at Choa Chu Kang Cemetery Complex for families to scatter ash remains of loved ones

SINGAPORE — A new garden at Choa Chu Kang Cemetery Complex, which includes a special area for people to scatter the cremated remains of their loved ones, will open from next Monday (May 17).

Singapore’s first inland ash scattering garden, made up of four designated lanes, forms one part of the sprawling 9,500-sqm Garden of Peace@CCK. 

The ash scattering garden was developed by the National Environment Agency (NEA) after consultations with religious groups, the funerary industry and interest groups. 

The garden is a secular facility that is open to Singaporeans from all religious backgrounds, NEA said on Tuesday. 

It has four demarcated ash scattering lanes that have been designed to provide families with privacy. Ashes are to be scattered onto the pebbles in these lanes, and families may then use a watering can to wash away remaining ashes on the pebbles into the layer of soil below. 

To maintain a clean and serene environment and preserve the secular nature of the garden, religious ceremonies or rites such as the burning of joss sticks, food offerings, playing of instruments or music will not be permitted within the garden.

Families who are interested in inland ash scattering services may book one-hour slots through NEA’s ePortal at www.eportal.nea.gov.sg. 

Alternatively, they may go to the Choa Chu Kang Cemetery Office or Mandai Crematorium Office to book a slot. 

There is a fee of S$320 for the scattering of ashes at the garden. 

Once a booking is made, families will have to go to the Ash Collection Centre at Choa Chu Kang Crematorium or Mandai Crematorium. Cremated remains would be pulverised into fine ashes and given to family members in a one-time use canister at these centres. 

Families may conduct simple rites in the prayer facility near the North Gate of the Garden of Peace and proceed to their designated scattering lane to scatter the ashes. 

With the ongoing Covid-19 safety regulations, a maximum of two families of five members each will be allowed for each one-hour slot. 

Mr Chew Ming Fai, NEA's deputy chief executive officer and director-general of public health, said: “We hope that Singaporeans will welcome the provision of inland ash scattering services as an additional option for the management of cremated human remains.”

He noted that after consultations with various groups, there was a consensus that the experience at the facility should be respectful and dignified, and that the facility should be secular and open to all religious faiths. 

“There was an emphasis that the facility should adopt a serene garden feel, where family and friends would be accorded privacy during the act of ash scattering,” he added.

Next year, Singapore will also have its second ash scattering facility, at the Garden of Serenity in the Mandai Crematorium Complex.