A company in America has been testing the composting of human corpses, which it claims is a more environmentally friendly way to deal with deceased bodies than burial or cremation. Recompose says its ‘human composting’ process saves more than a ton of carbon per person when compared with cremation because it uses one eighth of the energy, and has a more sustainable and safer end product than traditional burial.
The process is not yet legal outside of Washington state, but the company believes that growing public concern about climate change will spur other legislators to put human composting on the statute book. “When I die, this planet, which has protected and supported me my whole life – shouldn’t I give back what I have left? It is just logical and also beautiful,” said Recompose chief executive and founder Katrina Spade.
The company’s process involves laying the body in a closed vessel with woodchips, alfalfa and straw grass. Inside the vessel (which is made from steel and is reusable), the body is slowly rotated to allow microbes to break it down more easily. After just 30 days the process is complete and the remains can be scattered on plants. Recompose states that this is better than traditional burial, which uses wood and other resources and slows down the decomposition of the body, while cremation tends to use fossil fuel and releases harmful gasses into the atmosphere. What’s more, Recompose’s remains are heated to 55ºC, killing contagions so the resulting soil is safe to use.
Allowing the natural organic reduction of human bodies is now being considered in Colorado and California, and the company believes that the funeral option will grow in popularity both in the US and internationally due to climate concern and decreasing burial space.
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A company in America has been testing the composting of human corpses, which it claims is a more environmentally friendly way to deal with deceased bodies than burial or cremation. Recompose says its ‘human composting’ process saves more than a ton of carbon per person when compared with cremation because it uses one eighth of the energy, and has a more sustainable and safer end product than traditional burial.
The process is not yet legal outside of Washington state, but the company believes that growing public concern about climate change will spur other legislators to put human composting on the statute book. “When I die, this planet, which has protected and supported me my whole life – shouldn’t I give back what I have left? It is just logical and also beautiful,” said Recompose chief executive and founder Katrina Spade.
The company’s process involves laying the body in a closed vessel with woodchips, alfalfa and straw grass. Inside the vessel (which is made from steel and is reusable), the body is slowly rotated to allow microbes to break it down more easily. After just 30 days the process is complete and the remains can be scattered on plants. Recompose states that this is better than traditional burial, which uses wood and other resources and slows down the decomposition of the body, while cremation tends to use fossil fuel and releases harmful gasses into the atmosphere. What’s more, Recompose’s remains are heated to 55ºC, killing contagions so the resulting soil is safe to use.
Allowing the natural organic reduction of human bodies is now being considered in Colorado and California, and the company believes that the funeral option will grow in popularity both in the US and internationally due to climate concern and decreasing burial space.