If you don’t want ashes displayed on a mantel, you are not out of step with what most families do. You are simply noticing something real: the word “urn” often brings a very specific image, and that image doesn’t fit every home, every personality, or every family dynamic. The good news is that there are many respectful urn alternatives and alternatives to traditional cremation urn options that can hold ashes safely and still feel true to the person you’re honoring.
What matters is choosing a container that matches your plan. Are you looking for a way to keep ashes privately at home? A way to share small portions with family? A vessel designed for scattering or a water ceremony? A “living” memorial like a living urn tree? A piece of memorial jewelry ashes can travel with you? The answer to where to put ashes after cremation is not one-size-fits-all, and you don’t have to decide everything at once.
Most cremated remains are returned in a sealed inner bag inside a temporary container. The Cremation Association of North America (CANA) explains that cremated remains are transferred to a strong plastic bag and placed in an urn or a temporary container if the family has not selected a permanent urn yet. That temporary container is breathing room. It gives you time to choose something meaningful without rushing into a purchase you later regret.
Before You Choose: The Practical “Must-Checks” That Keep Alternatives Safe
When families ask what can you use as an urn, the safest answer is: anything can be meaningful, but not everything is a safe container for cremains. Most regret comes from skipping a few basic checks.
- Capacity: Know whether the alternative will hold all remains or only a portion. Urn capacity is measured in cubic inches, and most families use a simple sizing estimate (about one cubic inch per pound of body weight, then round up). If you want an easy tool, use Funeral.com’s Urn Size Calculator.
- Closure: Choose a closure you trust. A beautiful container is not helpful if it can open accidentally or loosen over time.
- Double containment: Whenever possible, keep the remains in the sealed inner bag inside the container. It reduces dust, reduces moisture exposure, and makes future changes easier.
- Future placement rules: If there is any chance of a cemetery burial or niche placement later, confirm requirements before you commit to a nonstandard container.
- Handling and storage: If the container will be moved, shipped, or traveled with, choose something durable and secure.
If you want a deeper tour of creative options with the same safety lens, you may also find Funeral.com’s guide helpful: Urn Alternatives and Unique Memorials.
Option One: Keepsake Urns and Small Portion Containers
One of the most practical keepsake memorial options is also one of the most common: keep the majority of remains in one primary container, then share small portions with the people who want a personal connection. This is often the best answer when a family wants to avoid a single urn being “the one place where everything lives,” especially when adult children live in different homes.
Keepsakes are intentionally small, which is why it’s important to choose them based on the portion you want to share, not on a vague label like “mini.” Funeral.com’s keepsake cremation urns for ashes are typically under 7 cubic inches, which makes them a good fit for symbolic shares rather than large portions. If the plan is a more meaningful “secondary home base” portion, small cremation urns for ashes (generally under 28 cubic inches) can be a steadier fit.
When families are sharing, the biggest stress point is not choosing the keepsake. It’s filling it. If you want a clean, beginner-friendly method, Funeral.com’s step-by-step guide is built for exactly this moment: How to Transfer Ashes into an Urn.
Option Two: Memorial Jewelry That Holds Ashes
If you don’t want ashes displayed at all, memorial jewelry ashes can be a quiet alternative. Jewelry typically holds a tiny, symbolic amount, so it usually works best alongside a primary container rather than replacing one. But for many families, that symbolic amount is enough. It’s closeness without visibility.
If you are considering jewelry, closure and wearability matter more than style trends. A secure screw closure is often the difference between peace of mind and constant worry. You can browse cremation jewelry broadly, or focus on the most common category families choose for daily wear: cremation necklaces. If you want a companion explanation of how these pieces are filled and what they are designed to hold, start with Cremation Jewelry 101.
Option Three: Scattering Urns, Tubes, and Ceremony-First Containers
Some families don’t want a permanent container at all. They want a moment: a scattering at a meaningful place, a shoreline ceremony, or a private goodbye in a location that mattered. In that case, the “urn alternative” is a container designed to make the ceremony cleaner and calmer. This is where scattering urn options matter, because scattering sounds simple until wind and uneven footing turn it into a stressful experience.
If you are scattering all of the remains, capacity still matters. A scattering tube that is too small creates a painful last-minute problem. Funeral.com’s guide Scattering Urns and Tubes walks through sizing, handling, and why “easy-open” design matters more than families expect.
If you want a broader view of creative ideas for ashes that includes scattering, burial, and “keep a portion” plans, this guide is a useful bridge: Where to Put Ashes After Cremation.
Option Four: Tree-Planting and Biodegradable “Return to Nature” Plans
For families drawn to an earth-centered memorial, a living urn tree plan or biodegradable urn can feel like the most natural answer to “what should we do with the ashes?” In these plans, the container is designed to break down intentionally, either in soil or in water, depending on the material.
If your plan is land burial or a green burial setting, start with urns designed for that environment. Funeral.com’s biodegradable and eco-friendly urns for ashes include earth-burial designs and plant-forward options, along with water-soluble urns for ceremonies.
If your plan is ocean placement, rules matter. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency explains that burial at sea of cremated remains is conducted under a general permit and requires reporting within 30 days, and the EPA also emphasizes avoiding materials that create marine debris. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Even when a family’s ceremony is simple, it’s worth choosing a container that aligns with the “no debris” intention.
Option Five: Art Keepsakes and Ash-Incorporated Memorials
Many families want a memorial that feels like art rather than a container. Glass memorials, ash-infused artwork, and custom keepsakes can be meaningful because they change the relationship to the remains. Instead of “holding ashes,” the object becomes a tribute you live with. This can be especially fitting for someone who loved art, design, or a home that feels curated and personal.
Most art keepsakes use a small amount, which means they pair well with a primary urn or a keepsake container that holds the remainder securely. If you are exploring this category, it helps to decide first whether the art piece is meant to be visible daily or kept privately, and whether it is durable enough for your home environment.
If you want a curated overview of artistic and unusual designs, Funeral.com’s guide is a helpful starting point: Unique Urns and Artistic Memorials.
Option Six: A Private, Low-Visibility Home Plan
Sometimes the best “alternative” is not a different kind of container, but a different kind of placement. Many families keep cremated remains at home in a way that is private and unobtrusive: a cabinet, a closet shelf, a memory box inside a drawer, or a dedicated memorial space that isn’t in the middle of daily traffic.
If your main goal is “not on a mantel,” the choice often becomes a question of storage and handling rather than shopping. A secure closure matters. Moisture matters. A stable location matters. Funeral.com’s guide Keeping Cremation Ashes at Home in the U.S. walks through the practical side of safe storage, along with the family dynamics that often show up when different relatives have different comfort levels.
DIY Urn Ideas and Repurposed Containers
Many people search for diy urn ideas because they find a craft-store box or décor vessel that feels more “right” than a traditional urn. A DIY container can be respectful if it is treated like a safety project: confirm capacity, choose a closure that won’t loosen, and use a liner bag (double containment) so the ashes are never relying on a decorative lid alone. Where DIY often fails is future placement. Cemeteries and columbaria can have strict rules, and a décor container may not meet them.
If you are considering DIY, it helps to plan as if you might need a different container later. That way, you can still have a personal display now without locking yourself into something that can’t be used for burial or niche placement later. If you want a practical guide written for this exact scenario, see: DIY Urn Ideas From Craft Stores.
The Practical Considerations That Still Apply to Every Alternative
Capacity and “how much goes where”
If you are keeping the full remains, you need a full-capacity container, even if it is “alternative” in style. If you are sharing, you need to decide whether each person is getting a symbolic amount or a meaningful portion. If you are doing a ceremony, you need a container that holds the portion you plan to scatter or place. If you want to avoid guesswork, use the Urn Size Calculator as your anchor, then size up slightly for comfort.
Sealing and closure choices
A threaded lid and a secured base plate are usually more reliable than friction-fit lids for anything that will be moved or transported. If you might want to reopen later for sharing, travel, or a new plan, avoid permanent adhesives until the plan is final. If you want a deeper guide to sealing and reopening decisions, start here: Are Urns Sealed After Cremation?.
Travel rules
Travel is where “alternative” containers can cause delays if you choose the wrong material. The Transportation Security Administration notes that officers will not open a container of cremated remains, even if requested, and the container must be able to be screened by X-ray. Transportation Security Administration. If travel is part of your plan, Funeral.com’s guide TSA-Approved Urns explains what “TSA-approved” really means in practice and why many families travel with a temporary container and keep the display urn safe at home.
Cemetery and columbarium policies
If you plan burial or niche placement, treat cemetery rules as the framework. Many cemeteries have cemetery policies for urn materials, urn dimensions, and whether an urn vault is required for in-ground placement. Funeral.com’s guide Urn Vaults Explained is a practical primer for what to ask before you buy anything. If your plan includes burial, this companion guide explains what families are typically charged for and where surprises happen: Burying Cremation Ashes in a Cemetery.
A Calm Way to Choose an Alternative Without Second-Guessing
If you want a simple decision path, start with the role the container needs to play. If you want “private and secure,” you may simply need a discreet primary urn plus safe storage. If you want “shared and inclusive,” you may need one primary urn plus keepsakes. If you want “ceremony-first,” you may need scattering tools or biodegradable options. If you want “portable and close,” you may want jewelry or a small carry keepsake.
Then make one practical decision that protects everything else: choose a secure closure and enough capacity. From there, you can choose the style that feels like the person without worrying that you’ve chosen something that will create stress later.
If you want a clean place to browse once you have your plan, start with cremation urns for ashes for primary containers, add keepsake urns and small urns for sharing, explore cremation jewelry for portable remembrance, and consider biodegradable urns if the plan is to return to nature.
The point of an alternative is not to be unusual. The point is to make remembrance livable. When the container is secure and the plan is clear, the memorial can look like anything your love makes meaningful.
