A new type of funeral that is better for the environment will soon be available… but how exactly does human compost happen?
The company, Recompose, will offer an alternative to traditional burial or cremation in Washington, USA by February 2021. This came about when research performed on volunteer deceased helped discover that soft human body tissue decomposes entirely within 30 days.
Human compost funerals may sound like an eerie idea, but ultimately the option allows for greater advantages to be available on a global scale. With severe cases of overpopulation in many heavily polluted countries, human compost funerals can offer back to the world in helpful ways.
Scientifically, the positive effects of this process, also known as ‘natural body reduction’, is that it prevents 1.4 tonnes of carbon being released into the atmosphere, compared to the process of cremation. In addition, similar effects would be saved in regards to transportation and construction necessary for traditional burial procedures.
Inslee spokeswoman Jaime Smith said that while the governor’s office is still reviewing the bill, “this seems like a thoughtful effort to soften our footprint” on the Earth. @GovInslee we think so, too. https://t.co/dYuE1YD5bx pic.twitter.com/kIkgM13rwI
— Katrina Spade (@KatrinaSpade) April 22, 2019
The process of human compost is different from the process of decomposing, which is the body decaying over ground. Instead, recomposing is the process of the body tissue integrating back into soil. This process comes about as the body is placed among wood chips, alfalfa and straw grass in a slowly rotating vessel. The microbes then break down the body tissue, and the body recomposes with the natural environment. After those 30 days, the remains are made available to close ones and relatives.
It took about four years to perfect this process, thanks to Professor Lynne Carpenter Boggs, a soil scientist, who adapted techniques for composting livestock to human subjects.
A heartfelt THANK YOU to @GovInslee and the entire WA State Legislature for embracing sustainable new death care options. Here's to choice and planet-healing at the end-of-life. pic.twitter.com/wi4og9ILbD
— Katrina Spade (@KatrinaSpade) May 24, 2019
The company claims the aim for this process of ‘recomposition’ is to “nourish new life after we die”.
Katrina Spade, the chief executive and founder of the company, shares with BBC that she first had the idea for the company 13 years prior, when she began reflecting on her own preferred funeral process. In fact, from the growing interest and concern for the climate, this new alternative quickly became greatly popular with already 15,000 people signing up to the newsletter for more information.
The project has moved forward so quickly because of the urgency of climate change and the awareness we have to put it right. For a lot of folks it resonates with the way they try to lead their lives. They want to pick a death care plan that resonates with the way we live.
Katrina Spade, chief executive and founder of Recompose
Once the company is in business, after successfully receiving bipartisan support and passing Washington legislation processes, anyone in Washington will be able to participate. Hopefully, with the global interest the company has sparked and concern for the climate, Spade claims that soon the process could be more widely available in other parts of the world.
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Read more on the effects of climate change on human life here.
