What do we do with things in our bodies that outlast us after death? Clothes are donated, eyeglasses go to Lions Clubs and hearing aids go to clinics. Pacemakers have to "explanted" before cremation or they will explode. They can be reused in underserved countries. Because of liability issues, prosthetic devices are not reused in this country, but they are used overseas by the world's most underserved populations. Some European crematoria have been retrofitted with power-generating turbines. High cremation temperatures of 1,600 to 1,800 degrees means there's a lot of heat left over. The steam generated from cooling the cremation vault can be used to make electricity. Some of these crematoria have redirected the heat to buildings, offices, and recently a municipal swimming pool.
In 1985 the U.S. cremation rate was 15%. By 2010 that figure had risen to 40%. In 2009 about 1 million people received hip or knee replacements. Artificial joints are made of titanium mostly. It's as strong as steel but about 45% lighter. The joints survive 1,600-1,800 degree cremation just fine. In the past these joints were placed in landfills or perhaps buried in a grave. Nowadays these joints can fetch $12/pound; not a huge amount but still something. They are now melted down at specialty recycling facilities and formed into ingots. Most of the ingots go into airplanes, cars and wind turbines. Some ingots do go back into medical implants, and that comforts some survivors. About a third of crematoria refuse payment from the recyclers, a third designate a charity, and a third take the money but donate it themselves.
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