Vatiala crematorium plan aims to double annual cremations

Pirkanmaan krematorio Oy has applied for an environmental permit to build a new crematorium next to the existing facility at Vatiala cemetery in Kangasala, with plans to complete the plant by 2028, Tamperelainen reports.

Founded by 17 parishes in the Pirkanmaa region, the company says the new building would add two ovens, potentially raising capacity from about 3,000 to roughly 6,000 cremations a year.

The current crematorium, opened in 2013 and the only one in Pirkanmaa, is struggling to meet rising demand as cremation becomes more common and the population ages. Demand is outpacing capacity.

The proposal says cremations would run mainly on weekdays on two oven lines, with initial electric heating. Emissions would be cooled and filtered to remove mercury, then monitored regularly. Waste from purification would be sent to hazardous waste collection, and ashes would be sieved and demetalled before burial in urns or other lawful sites.

The proposal comes amid regional debate over new fees and service pressures connected to the handling of the deceased in Pirkanmaa after the welfare region introduced a storage fee this spring.