Undertakers in Belgium have said they want to save the environment by liquefying corpses instead of cremating them.
It has been claimed the process of dissolving the dead in a caustic potash solution would use less energy than a crematorium - it would also not emit any harmful carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
The body sludge could then be given to relatives to flush away as a final goodbye.
The Flemish Association of Undertakers is now trying to get permission to carry out the green procedure, which is known as chemical hydrolysis.
Bodies are dissolved by placing them in a container of water and salts. The mixture is then pressurised and after about two hours, all that remains is mineral ash and a liquid gunk.
But the idea is controversial in a country which has strong religious beliefs.
Many people associate the idea with something out of a gangster movie - an awkward character or witness is disposed of by the mob in an acid bath.
Frederik Vanbellingen, an undertaker in Flanders, told Sky News he thought the new technique would fail to catch on.
"In Belgium it will be hard to introduce. We know about cremation but not this new process," he said.
"I think a solution to the problem of the fluid also needs to be found. Relatives could find pouring their loved ones away psychologically difficult."
The European Commission has also become involved and is considering whether or not the practise is safe.
It is trying to establish if liquid remains can be poured down the drain without blocking up the sewage system.
