New York allows composting of human bodies

• New York is the sixth state in the United States to legalize human composting.
• Body is sealed in a container and decomposed over weeks.
• Proponents say it’s an environmentally friendly burial solution.

New York is the latest state in the United States to make what is often known as “human composting” lawful.

As an environmentally beneficial alternative to burial or cremation, a person can now choose to have their body transformed into soil after passing away.

The process, sometimes known as “natural organic reduction,” involves sealing a person in a container and letting it degrade over a period of weeks.

The first US state to legalize it was Washington in 2019. Vermont, Colorado, Oregon, and California followed suit.

Following Kathy Hochul, the Democratic governor of the state, on Saturday, New York became the sixth American jurisdiction to permit human composting.

In particular above-ground facilities, the process takes place.

A body is placed in a vessel that is tightly sealed along with chosen materials like woodchips, alfalfa, and straw grass, and it progressively decomposes thanks to the activity of bacteria.

Family members are given the resulting soil after about a month and after it has been heated to destroy any infectious agents. You can use this to plant trees, veggies, or flowers.

Recompose, a US company, claims that compared to cremation or a conventional burial, its service can save a tons of carbon.

Because the greenhouse effect acts to trap the Earth’s heat, carbon dioxide emissions are a significant factor in climate change.

Wood, land, and other natural resources are also used up during traditional burials including coffins.

In places with a shortage of cemetery property, proponents of human composting claim that it is not only a more practical choice but also one that is more environmentally friendly.

One Washington-based service, Return Home, told the Media that New York’s approval of the procedure was “a big milestone towards accessible green death care worldwide.”

But for some, the ethical implications of what happens to the composted soil raise ethical concerns.

According to reports, Catholic bishops in New York state opposed the measure because they believed that human remains shouldn’t be treated like “domestic rubbish.”

Concerns concerning composting’s expense have also been voiced. However, the company Recompose, whose facility in Seattle is among the first in the world, claims that its $7,000 (£5,786) cost is “competitive” with competing solutions.

According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the median cost of a funeral with a burial in the US was $7,848 in 2021 while the cost of a funeral with cremation was $6,971. (NFDA).

In all of Sweden, composting human waste is already permitted. Furthermore, natural burials—where a body is buried without a coffin or in a biodegradable coffin—are legal in the UK.

Also Read

Robert Pattinson and Suki Waterhouse spotted in New York

Robert Pattinson and Suki Waterhouse dressed warmly for a stroll in New...