This startup recycles pet ashes into artificial reefs to save marine life. Human remains are next

This startup recycles pet ashes into artificial reefs to save marine life. Human remains are next

This startup recycles pet ashes into artificial reefs to save marine life. Human remains are next The death of a pet leaves behind a devastating emptiness in the lives of the people who love them. Often, aggrieved pet owners are only left with the comfort that “all dogs go to heaven,” or a collection of abandoned chew toys that sit beside an urn. United Kingdom-based startup Resting Reef wondered: What if our pets could live on in a whole new way? A close-up of an artificial reef. Photo courtesy of Resting Reef The company, founded by Aura Murillo Pérez and Louise Skajem, provides a sustainable and meaningful alternative to conventional burial methods, which they call “a new tradition around death that truly honors life.” Their pitch is to take the ashes of a beloved pet — or soon, human — and to turn them into an artificial reef that improves marine biodiversity. They use aquamation, an alkaline process for cremation, and combine a pet’s remains with crushed oyster shells and concrete, whi…