After they’ve cooled down, the bone fragments are swept out of the cremation machine. Any big pieces of metal are removed (Did Grandma have a hip implant? We’ll find out when we cremate her!) and the bones are ground down into ashes. The crematory operator pours this light gray powder into an urn, which is given back to the family to scatter, bury, turn into a diamond, shoot into space, make into a painting, or use as tattoo ink.
