But there are certain to be vigorous objections both by the funeral trade and relatives who see an elaborate, and expensive, send-off as a statement of love for the dearly departed.

Last year, officials from the Health, Welfare and Food Bureau went to Japan, where the use of cardboard paper caskets - eco-coffins - is widespread.

The bureaucrats were not just looking at cost issues, but examining whether using paper coffins will cut the smoke emissions from crematoriums and reduce the time it takes to cremate a body.

There were about 34,000 cremations last year. This works out at 93 a day. If fast-burning paper coffins were used, it would cut the time to reduce a body to ashes from 21/2 hours to about an hour.

This could significantly reduce the lengthy wait to dispose of the remains; this can now run into an agonising two weeks, vastly extending the period of grief.

There are many very sound reasons for people to consider using inexpensive corrugated paper coffins. Not least is the cost. The cheap wooden casket costs about HK$1,000, while elaborate coffins can costs tens of thousands of dollars.

To its credit, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department seems to be taking an active role. It has posted notices at cremation booking offices about the paper coffins.

Leaflets are being sent to homes and clubs for the elderly. This seems a bit blunt: 'Hey, getting old? Think about using an eco-coffin.' The department also plans to use the paper coffins for cremating unclaimed bodies.

I would like to see widespread support for using the cheaper way of exiting this life. But there are social pressures against it.

University of Hong Kong associate professor of psychology Samuel Ho Mun-yin explains that using an inexpensive 'green coffin' calls for a behavioural change of traditional custom.

'Chinese culture has elaborate funeral rituals to provide a socially acceptable way to mourn,' Dr Ho said.

'A decent coffin, not necessarily very expensive, but certainly not a cardboard casket, helps ensure that the deceased has a good final resting place and exists well in the after-world.'

The director of the Jessie and Thomas Tan Centre, Brenda Koo Wing-sze, says the government pays HK$10,340 for funeral costs for people on Comprehensive Social Security Assistance. This is meant to cover all costs, including the coffin. 'It's usually not enough,' said Ms Koo, whose centre is associated with the Society for the Promotion of Hospice Care.

Tung Wah Group helps; for HK$10,000 they handle the entire procedure, including a service according to the deceased's religion.

'Funerals can be very elaborate,' Ms Koo adds. 'There's no real limit on what people are prepared to pay. Take flowers. There can be a small bouquet or a huge display costing a lot of money. It's the same for coffins.

'Usually, coffins people are viewed in are the ones in which they are cremated. The funeral parlour industry does not feel Chinese people will embrace the idea of the cardboard coffin.

'Wooden coffins are considered more proper and respectful. Paper ones are sort of like shoe boxes. When people die, the family wants to treat them to the best of their ability. It is part of the grieving process. There is no other opportunity for people to do things right.

'This is the last chance they have to show their love.'

Maybe. But the thought of paying HK$35,000, for instance, for an elaborate coffin and then having it burned along with the body seems like a sheer waste of money. You can't argue, however, with customs that go back centuries.

It's not only in Chinese culture that old people worry about getting a good send-off as they begin the last unknown journey.

In many western societies there is also a compulsion for families to pay excessive amounts for burials, including the purchase, often in advance, of a hugely expensive casket.

It's impossible to argue with folk belief and family customs. Eco-coffins may be a splendid idea. They may be environmentally friendly. They may be common sense. But they are not going to catch on in Hong Kong.