image source, Getty Images
American composting companies like Recompose, in Seattle, say the process is a green option after death.
New York became the sixth US state to allow so-called human composting.
People can now turn their body into dirt after they die, which is considered an alternative plus ecological than a burial or cremation.
Also Known As “natural organic reduction”the practice causes a body to decompose for several weeks after being locked in a container.
In 2019, Washington was the first US state to legalize it. Colorado, Oregon, Vermont, and California followed suit.
New York is thus the sixth US jurisdiction to allow human composting, following the stamp of approval given Saturday by Kathy Hochul, the state’s Democratic governor.
The process occurs in special buildings and, unlike traditional burials, decomposition occurs above from the earth.
A body is placed in a closed container along with selected materials, such as wood chips, alfalfa, and straw, and gradually decomposes under the action of microbes.
After a period of about a month, and a heating process to eliminate any possible infection, loved ones receive the resulting land. This can be used to plant flowers, vegetables, or trees.
An American company, Recompose, has said that its service can save a ton of carbon compared to a traditional cremation or burial.
image source, Getty Images
Straw and wood chips are used in the human composting process.
Carbon dioxide emissions are one of the main contributors to climate change because they act by trapping the Earth’s heat, in a phenomenon known as the greenhouse effect.
Traditional coffin burials also consume wood, soil, and other natural resources.
Proponents of human composting say it’s not only a more environmentally friendly option, but also more practical in cities where space for cemeteries is limited.
New York’s approval of the process was “a big step for accessible green death care across the country,” a Washington-based provider, Return Home, told the New York Post.
But for some there are ethical issues about what happens to the soil that results from composting.
The Catholic bishops of New York state reportedly opposed the legislation, arguing that human bodies should not be treated as “household waste.”
Concerns have also been raised about the cost of composting. But firm Recompose, whose Seattle plant is one of the world’s first, says its $7,000 fee is “comparable” to other options.
The median price for a funeral with burial was $7,848 in 2021 in the US, or $6,971 for a funeral with cremation, according to the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA).
In the rest of the world, human composting is legal in one country: Sweden.
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