'More than 100 pigs to be buried' in over-crowded Sydney cemetery in study

More than a hundred pigs are reportedly set to be buried in Australia’s largest cemetery in a scientific move that is sure to raise a few eyebrows.

In an effort to create more grave space, an increasingly packed Rookwood Cemetery in Sydney's west intends to bury up to 120 pig corpses as human substitutes.

The aim of the plan, which would be objectionable to many religious customs, will be to see whether the rate of human decomposition can be accelerated in order to lay more people to rest in the same plots.

Rookwood General Cemeteries Reserve Trust chief executive George Simpsons told Fairfax Media that the sustainability of cemeteries was a major issue across the world and that this independent study could be a game changer.

"This is a real watershed if we can get it right, it would revolutionise the entire industry the world over," Mr Simpsons told Fairfax Media.

The process would see the pig corpses exposed to compounds, additives and a lot of other variables and placed in individual burial sites to “speed up” the decomposing process.

If successful, the process could be applied to humans.

It is strictly forbidden to lay a second body in a grave until the first has completely transformed according to Islamic tradition.

"[We] can't lose sight of the fact that we need to look at innovative new ways of providing space for generations after us,” he added.

Remarkably, Mr Simpson said local communities from the Middle Eastern Area had encouraged them to accelerate the decomposition process and that there had been little to no resistance from the Jewish or Muslim communities.

"The representatives from those faiths [on the committee] expected that would be the case. It is widely known the world over that pigs are the closest, anatomically, to humans.

For us to get as close a match as we can, it was vital we use this proxy."

Meanwhile, NSW Minister for Lands Paul Toole confirmed he was aware of the study.