Human Composting Legal Now in Washington State

SeaBreeze

SeaBreeze

Endlessly Groovin'
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I guess this is environmentally friendly, but for me it will be a regular cremation. More here.

On Tuesday, Gov. Jay Inslee signed SB 5001, “concerning human remains,” making Washington the first state in the U.S. to legalize human composting.


The law, which takes effect May 1, 2020, recognizes “natural organic reduction” and alkaline hydrolysis (sometimes called “liquid cremation”) as acceptable means of disposition for human bodies. Until now, Washington code had permitted only burial and cremation.


The bill had passed both legislative chambers with ample, bipartisan majorities: 80-16 in the House and 38-11 in the Senate.


This paves the way for Recompose, a project to build the first urban “organic reduction” funeral home in the country. Washington already has several “green cemeteries,” such as White Eagle Memorial Preserve in Klickitat County, where people can be buried without embalming, caskets or headstones. The Recompose model is more like an urban crematorium (bodies go in, remains come out), but using the slower, less carbon-intensive means of “organic reduction,” or composting.


The process, which involves using wood chips, straw and other materials, takes about four weeks and is related to methods of “livestock composting” that ranchers and farmers have been using for several years. Lynne Carpenter-Boggs, a soil scientist at Washington State University, says that practice can turn a 1,500-pound steer — bones and all — into clean, odorless soil in a matter of months.


Designer Katrina Spade started the endeavor as a nonprofit, called the Urban Death Project, back in 2014. Over the years, Spade has assembled a board of volunteer advisers, including scientists, attorneys and death-care professionals, then converted it to a small-business model called Recompose.
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I felt like composting after hearing about this. :grin:
 

Well.....I suppose so long as they're not composting live people....we're still winning?
 
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I'm ok with being composted but I haven't quite wrapped my head around the liquid cremations that are now being offered in some states!

"Tiny bubbles (tiny bubbles)
Make me warm all over
With a feeling that I'm gonna
Love you till the end of time ..."

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http://fcaofmn.org/alkaline-hydrolysis-green-cremation.html
 
Wash state huh. Whackdoodle. A state with one of the highest unvaccinated and measles outbreak numbers. As long as they keep it sanitary and don't infect or bother others with nasty sights or smells, I don't especially care what others do with their remains. I remember a long time ago NYS has requirements for graves to have concrete vaults to put the caskets in so as not to pollute the ground water
 
I don't have a problem with it. I honestly don't care what is done with my "remains." It seems to me that the process of embalming and burying in a cement vault is creepy and ridiculous. There is already the option of natural burial with no embalming and the body in a shroud to decompose naturally.
 
C'est Moi said:
I don't have a problem with it. I honestly don't care what is done with my "remains." It seems to me that the process of embalming and burying in a cement vault is creepy and ridiculous. There is already the option of natural burial with no embalming and the body in a shroud to decompose naturally.
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I agree. Creepy and incredibly ignorant too. Nature has a way of cleaning and disinfecting over time
 
C'est Moi said:
I don't have a problem with it. I honestly don't care what is done with my "remains." It seems to me that the process of embalming and burying in a cement vault is creepy and ridiculous. There is already the option of natural burial with no embalming and the body in a shroud to decompose naturally.
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Keesha said:
I agree. Creepy and incredibly ignorant too. Nature has a way of cleaning and disinfecting over time
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Agree with both of these. As it stands now, my body will be cremated when I no longer need it. If CA follows WA with natural burials I will look into that option. Seems a lot more environmentally friendly.
 
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Geezerette said:
Wash state huh. Whackdoodle. A state with one of the highest unvaccinated and measles outbreak numbers. As long as they keep it sanitary and don't infect or bother others with nasty sights or smells, I don't especially care what others do with their remains. I remember a long time ago NYS has requirements for graves to have concrete vaults to put the caskets in so as not to pollute the ground water
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The laws in New York have been relaxed over the years.

Many traditional cemeteries still require a concrete vault but some more natural/green burial preserves are now available.

This is one example: http://www.naturalburial.org/

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Listened to part of a show on this today on public radio. There's a 47 minute podcast in link for anyone interested. It was an interesting discussion, but I'll probably stick with cremation this go round. ;)

In December, a funeral home in Washington became the first to legally compost human remains. It’s part of a growing movement toward deathcare options that are kinder to the planet, from aqua cremation to tree pod burials.

Proponents of these kinds of options say that they use less energy and are better for the environment than the traditional methods of cremation or embalming. Public testimony for a bill concerning human composting in Oregon was overwhelmingly positive
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https://www.kunc.org/2021-12-23/nat...osing-an-eco-friendly-end-of-life-rebroadcast
 
"Traditional burial" seems, to me to be of little value. Paying for embalming, a fancy casket, a small hole in the ground, and a stone grave marker, etc. seems like a waste of time and money. Far better, IMO, to dispose of the old body in an environmentally friendly manner.
 
My mother donated her body to UT Southwestern. She lived with several medical issues for many years, so their study will be much more valuable to living human beings than composting human remains. I'm going to do the same.

And I'm never surprised at anything that comes out of Washington State. My headquarters, when I was employed, was in Seattle. I used to call it the "Island of Misfit Toys".
 
Don M. said:
"Traditional burial" seems, to me to be of little value. Paying for embalming, a fancy casket, a small hole in the ground, and a stone grave marker, etc. seems like a waste of time and money. Far better, IMO, to dispose of the old body in an environmentally friendly manner.
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Yea, aside from being a total money grab the whole process just seems like an unnecessarily stressful and burdensome ordeal.
 
SeaBreeze said:
I guess this is environmentally friendly, but for me it will be a regular cremation. More here.
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Isn't this "ashes to ashes, dust to dust"? After decomp don't we return to dust somewhat? Sorry, I know it is kinda gross.
Some days, I think I should have been a mortician. When I was working in AZ they used to call me Morticia because I loved the rainy days so much. I prefer rain, snow and fog to sunshine. I know, weird. :)🧛‍♀️
 
Looked it up as i was curious the price they gave as average in April 2021 was $4950
think basic cremation is less depending on where you go.
 
C'est Moi said:
I don't have a problem with it. I honestly don't care what is done with my "remains." It seems to me that the process of embalming and burying in a cement vault is creepy and ridiculous. There is already the option of natural burial with no embalming and the body in a shroud to decompose naturally.
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Some people here do this. Dig a big hole put in body & close hole & plant a big tree over the hole with a brass tag saying who was buried here with birth date & died on.
 

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