Do you or a loved one have surgical implants? A knee, a hip, a spinal brace? Did you know that surgical implants are not in the urns when it is filled with the ashes following cremation? Where does it go?

Following the passing of my wife several years ago, I promptly coordinated the necessary arrangements for her memorial service. While still grieving, I arranged for her cremation and chose an urn for her ashes. After the last viewing and after accepting the filled urn, I inquired with the funeral director about how her surgical implants were handled. To my surprise, I was told that they were donated. I had not seen anything on the consent form associated with the funeral service that referenced my approval for that arrangement.

In a couple of days after the cremation, I followed up with a request regarding the name of the company to which the surgical implants were donated. The story abruptly changed. I was then told that the surgical implants were simply discarded. This then became the beginning of my quest to better understand this unspoken and little-understood aspect of death and dying in Hawaiʻi.

Ideas showcases stories, opinion and analysis about Hawaiʻi, from the state’s sharpest thinkers, to stretch our collective thinking about a problem or an issue. Email news@civilbeat.org to submit an idea or an essay.

Read More

Legislative Initiatives

Consequently, I collaborated with several legislators before the 2025 Legislative session to introduce Senate Bill 525 and House Bill 565, which addressed the disposal of metal surgical implants left after cremation without the informed consent of the family. These bills aimed to set clear standards for Hawaiʻi’s funeral industry, reducing uncertainty and lowering the risk of misconduct or disputes.

The hope was that legislation would establish a framework of consent, accountability, and the proper disposition of incombustible metals within the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs’ capabilities to provide oversight.

DCCA supported the intent of both bills after their introduction. Still, it noted that, given their sizable regulatory responsibilities, they were concerned about their ability to provide adequate oversight.

In the meantime, consumer groups and individual advocates strongly supported both bills after recognizing the value of transparency, accountability, consumer protection, and reducing the likelihood of misconduct. The mortuary association and its members unanimously considered these bills unnecessary. They have stated that they do not feel that there is a need to have a provision in their contracts informing clients of practices that involve recycling.

Accordingly, they stated that if no instruction for disposition is given by the family, the funeral home will dispose of the device through their recycling company.

After the bills were tabled, the House and Senate introduced concurrent resolutions to enable more review and discussion between the mortuary industry and consumer advocacy groups. Those concurrent resolutions did not pass through the legislative maze and were tabled.

After the legislative session, plans to convene a working group involving representatives from the mortuary association and consumer advocacy groups did not materialize, as the mortuary group felt that they could address the concerns raised independently without outside input.

Harvesting Metals

Why is this an important issue?

Although cremation and the handling of incombustible precious metals are not currently prominent consumer protection concerns in Hawaiʻi, there is reason to believe that this matter is likely to impact a growing portion of the community in the future.

First, Hawaiʻi, like much of the U.S., is experiencing a rapid growth in its older adult population, many of whom face disabilities in their later years.

Second, significant medical advances and the concomitant increased use of surgical implants are becoming commonplace for those who are experiencing increased frailty and disabilities with the identification of more chronic illnesses.

Thirdly, on a per capita basis, Hawaiʻi has one of the highest utilization rates for cremation services following death in the U.S. Consequently, there is a high likelihood for the continued growth in the accumulation of surgical metals after cremation.

These are incombustible remains which will need to be discarded, recycled, or resold by the mortuary industry of Hawaiʻi. The disposition of these metals that are not included with the ashes deposited in the urns when handed to the families require full disclosure for the sake of transparency, consumer protection, and the assurance of ethical practices and trust that the industry wishes to convey to the general public.

There have been issues with the use of the word “precious metals” when referring to these incombustible metal remains. These metals may include, but are not limited to silver, gold, titanium, platinum and palladium, in the form of dental implants, plates, rods, screws, and the like for the neck, spine, hip and other joints.

Are they donated, recycled, sold, or discarded in the city dumps? Are families providing their informed consent regarding their disposition? How is this being done?

Is there evidence of unreported revenue generation? We do not know what Hawaiʻi’s mortuaries are doing. However, in the meantime, companies on the U.S. mainland are harvesting these metals from mortuaries.

Here are some companies that have been identified to date:

• Cremation Recycling (Mid-States Recycling & Refining) operates a facility to smelt metals recovered from cremations, offering to pay or donate proceeds to client-direct charities.
• Core Scientific Cremation Metal Recycling markets itself as a leader in recovering and tracking metal value from cremated remains, offering transparent settlement and returns to crematories.
• Direct Recycling Systems publishes a multi-step metal recovery process (collection, assay, melting, distribution) from crematory operators.
• Contemporary Cremation Recycling Services also advertises capacity to recover all metals surviving cremation.
• Noble Metal Solutions offers post-cremation metal recovery, refining, and shipping for free pickup, with full-service refinery.

Some of these company websites indicate that they can donate the proceeds to a nonprofit if a mortuary makes that request. The proceeds can also provide the mortuary with an additional revenue stream.

What is happening in Hawaiʻi, however, is unclear.

If a financial transaction is involved, does it make sense for the mortuaries to reimburse individual families for the value of the metals extracted from their loved one? Probably not. That might be an insurmountable administrative task and a challenge to enforce.

If there is revenue, can they be given to a community-serving non-profit addressing issues relevant to the mortuary industry?

Through community dialogue, I believe that it is possible to create a framework that ensures transparency, ethics, and community benefits while minimizing oversight from Hawaiʻi’s Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.

The Legislature’s Kupuna Caucus, which advocates for senior issues, will be discussing this matter before the opening of the 2026 Legislature.