Last year, Washington was the first American state (and likely the first place in the world) to legalize human composting, or ‘natural organic reduction.’ Now, UK funeral directors are receiving a swell of requests for it and other more sustainable alternatives to cremation or burial. There is a growing desire for green burials.
Deborah Smith of the National Association of Funeral Directors in the UK said:
“To date, human composting has not been undertaken in the UK, but there are ongoing attempts to introduce another alternative form of disposal, alkaline hydrolysis, referred to as water cremation, which is already permitted in some US states. For those seeking a burial in the UK that is as natural as possible, there are increasing numbers of privately-owned burial grounds at which it is possible to be buried in a woodland setting, in a biodegradable shroud, with a tree or simple plaque marking the location.”
The Washington law permitting human composting also allows the option of liquid cremation. This process is legal in 19 other states already. It involves the use of heat, pressure, water, and chemicals like lye to dissolve the body, leaving behind only bone fragments (which they pulverize) and a sterile liquid.
The process may also symbolize freedom for the deceased because it means they are not tied to one plot of land. Residents in Texas often look for affordable cremation services in Dallas for their loved ones to commemorate their stance on life and the environment. With the addition of human composting, people can choose eco-friendly options for their final resting place while also leaving a positive impact on the environment.
Sandy Sullivan, the founder of Resomation, a company that sells liquid cremation machines to the US, said:
“It’s a low running cost, much more environmentally friendly. I think it’s a gentler process than burning. Families are choosing it mostly because they see it as gentler.”
Is Composting The Future?
While it is universally suitable for coffee grounds and banana peels to be composted, human bodies may come as a bit of a shock to some people at first. Nevertheless, people are beginning to accept the idea and its environmental friendliness – which means that human composting might be the future of deathcare.
Lynne Carpenter-Boggs, a Washington State University professor of soil science and sustainable agriculture, gave a speech before a talk at the conference of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She said:
“Death certainly isn’t the biggest environmental impact we have in our life process. But we can still look for new alternatives.”
During her speech, Carpenter-Boggs presented data from a pilot project conducted by a Seattle-based company called Recompose, which plans to open the world’s first human composting facility in May 2020. Carpenter-Boggs acts as a scientific adviser to the company and has first-hand experience with its process. The pilot involved six bodies. They were all composted to test the effectiveness and safety of the Recompose approach.
The process begins with the body being placed in a reusable hexagonal steel container along with alfalfa, wood chips, and straw. The humidity and ratio of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and oxygen within the container are carefully controlled to induce fast-acting natural organic reduction. The system creates the ideal conditions for a class of thermophilic (heat-loving) microbes that accelerate the regular rate of decomposition dramatically. After four to six weeks, the corpse transforms into two wheelbarrows’ worth of soil.
Carpenter-Boggs said:
“It’s a bit of a surprise that when the microbial activity starts up and there’s enough feedstock, a whole different class of organisms, called thermophilic organisms, become active.”
Even teeth and bones are transformed into compost. Any non-organic materials (like artificial hips, pins, and pacemakers) are screened for when the process is done and then sent off to be recycled. The pilot found that the resulting soil is biologically safe as it contains low levels of coliform bacteria. Meaning that friends and relatives could safely scatter their loved ones’ remains as they would ashes. The soil could also be used to fertilize a vegetable patch or plant flowers.
Typically, cremation produces as much CO2 as burning 800,000 barrels of oil – which is the equivalent of a flight from Rome to London. Human composting, on the other hand, uses only an eighth of the energy. Furthermore, it doesn’t require embalming fluids that can leech into groundwater as burials do, nor does it require coffins that use up natural resources like metal and wood.
