From the mildly eccentric to the downright peculiar, there are a number of unusual ways some have adopted to say goodbye to loved ones.

Nowadays, being buried in a eco-friendly/cardboard coffin is fast becoming a fashionable way to be buried. Not only is cardboard cheaper than wood, but it is also good for the environment.  So good, in fact, that when Green Party member Mike Woodin passed away, he was buried in a cardboard coffin in order to reduce his carbon footprint.  Other notable celebrities associated with this bio-friendly approach include Barbara Cartland and actress Wendy Richard.

Writer Hunter S Thompson who passed away in 2005, requested his ashes  be fired out of a cannon at a fireworks display.  Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek, and Star Trek star actor  James Doohan (Scotty in original Star Trek),  both had their ashes launched into space.

In Latin America, embalming has been taken to a whole new level. David Morales Colon, a motorbike aficionado, was embalmed and placed on his motorbike so his family could take pictures at his funeral. Christopher Rivera Amaro, a boxer, was embalmed and stood in a corner of a boxing ring for the same reason.

In Ghana, the Ga tribe create coffins in the shape of cars, planes, bottles, shoes, fish or mobile phones (see https://www.www.sussexfunerals.com/ghanas-fantasy-coffins/). This practice appears to be catching on in the UK; a company in Nottingham (https://www.crazycoffins.co.uk/) create coffins of a similar nature, including canal boats, sledges, kites, cars, instruments and more.