You Can Now Compost Human Remains In the State of Washington

After asking around, I realized that a lot of people are open to the idea of the ‘becoming a tree after death’ funeral option, so to speak. Instead of being enclosed in a coffin until you eventually turn to dust, why not help some plants grow, right?

Seems like Washington Governor Jay Inslee thinks the same way, as he just recently signed a bill that allows the composting of human remains in the state, making it the only U.S state -and, according to some experts, the first place in the world- to allow the “aboveground decomposition” of human remains. 

“Recomposition offers an alternative to embalming and burial or cremation that is natural, safe, sustainable, and will result in significant savings in carbon emissions and land usage,” Katrina Spade, founder of Recompose, has said. Her company is set to become the very first one of its kind to offer the service.

“The idea of returning to nature so directly and being folded back into the cycle of life and death is actually pretty beautiful,” Spade went on to say.

The law will go into effect in May 2020 and will see the bodies being placed in a receptacle alongside organic materials like wood chips and straw, which will help speed up the natural decomposition process and the natural transition of the bodies into the soil, much in the same manner farmers compost the bodies of their animals. 

“This is not simply a process to convert bodies to soil; it’s also about bringing ritual and some of that ceremony back”

Katrina Spade, Founder and Chief Executive of Recompose

This idea comes from a place of science though: the Washington State University actually conducted a study where six bodies donated for research were placed in a rotating container, wrapped in organic materials and bathed in air warmed by microbes. It took the bodies around four weeks to decompose. 

Albeit, the process is not cheap: it costs about $5,000 per body. It is cheaper than your regular funeral yet pricier than cremation. Even so, it’s worth noting that the compost resulting from the body can be returned to the deceased’s loved ones and be spread across a garden or aid in growing a tree. 

Considering we’re running out of burial estate and that cremation produces a good chunk of greenhouse gases, composting dead bodies might just prove to be the best alternative for a greener future, regardless of how terrifying the idea might sound for those who oppose it.