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Saskatchewan has become the first province to approve a new method of body disposal.

Called alkaline hydrolysis, it's touted as a more environmentally friendly way to cremate a corpse because it doesn't send smoke billowing into the atmosphere.

Instead of burning a body, the process uses an alkaline solution and a pressure chamber with extreme heat to reduce a body to liquid and a dry bone residue, which is similar to ashes and can be given to the family.

It's been used on animal carcasses and medical cadavers for many years, but recently, there's been a push from funeral homes to approve the process for human remains.

It's practised in a handful of American states, though it remains controversial.

"We believe this process, which enables a portion of human remains to be flushed down a drain, to be undignified," Patrick McGee, a spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester, once told USA Today.