Despite the Hollywood image of scattering cremated remains by throwing up a fine powder which wafts away on the breeze, scattering is more like disposing of several pounds of dry white rice mixed with several ounces of fine powder, and which, rather than wafting away, is more likely to fall to the ground in a heap.
Although they are sometimes called "ashes", cremated remains are not ash. They consist of 6 to 8 pounds of bone fragments, which usually have been mechanically reduced to the texture of coarse beach sand and have a volume of approximately 200 cubic inches (about the size of a shoe box). This should be kept in mind when you are selecting a scattering site. You may wish to ask someone who is not a direct relative of the deceased to handle the actual scattering process because of the intense emotions that scattering sometimes brings up.
The federal government has regulations regarding the disposal of cremated remains, and many local jurisdictions require notification and permits, as well as restricting the areas where remains may be scattered or otherwise disposed of. You will probably wish to confer with a cemetery or crematory for current information about those regulations.
Scattering on private property may only be done with the permission of the property owner. It has become fashionable with some people to scatter cremated remains at sites sacred to Native Americans. In many cases this is inappropriate to their traditional beliefs, and is equivalent to scattering someone's remains over a church altar. Permission should be sought before disposing of remains in this way.
Cremated remains are almost pure calcium phosphate and calcium carbonate and are thus alkaline. If they are to be scattered in a garden or used in planting a tree, you will need to be sure that the plants chosen are not acid-loving or alkali-intolerant. The scattering gardens in cemeteries are designed with this in mind. If you are not sure, contact a local nursery and ask about the alkali tolerance of the plants you prefer. It is worth noting that many of the natural species in the Pacific Northwest are acid-loving plants and do not normally do well if they receive a large dose of alkali such as cremated remains.
A few funeral homes sell urns specifically designed for the scattering process.
