Answering your questions about a new law allowing composting of the human body

Gov. Kathy Hochul last week signed a bill that made New York the sixth and latest state to legalize the composting of human remains — called “natural organic reduction.” It would join traditional methods of burial and cremation as options for state residents. 

Here are some questions and answers about the process.

Why would anyone want to compost a body?

Supporters cite the scarcity of burial grounds in dense places like New York City and a desire to be environmentally friendly.

“Cremation uses fossil fuels and burial uses a lot of land and has a carbon footprint,” Katrina Spade, the founder of Recompose, a “green” funeral home in Seattle that offers human composting, told The Associated Press. “For a lot of folks, being turned into soil that can be turned to grow into a garden or tree is pretty impactful.”

Composting a human body saves about 1.2 metric tons of carbon per person versus traditional burial or cremation, according to a new release from Assem. Cristina Garcia, a California lawmaker who sponsored that state's bill.

How does the body get composted?

Here's how AP described the process: “the body of the deceased is placed into a reusable vessel along with plant material such as wood chips, alfalfa and straw. The organic mix creates the perfect habitat for naturally occurring microbes to do their work, quickly and efficiently breaking down the body in about a month’s time.”

Oxygen is also pumped in during that time to increase heat-loving microbial activity, according to The New Yorker. Nonorganic material, such as dental implants, are sorted and removed.

Is there still a funeral of some kind?

Yes, a “laying-in ceremony.”

What is given to the descendants’ next of kin after a successful composting?

“The deceased’s loved ones can then take the entire result, or a smaller portion in an urn-like container, for use in a backyard garden or forest,” Axios reported. The remains can also be given to a conservation group.

Is everyone eligible?

No, according to The New Yorker, which reports that anyone with Prion diseases, a family of rare progressive neurodegenerative disorders, are ineligible.

What is the cost?

Recompose says the cost is about $7,000, a fee that includes pickup, composting and soil donation. The price is typically more expensive than cremation but cheaper than burial, Axios reported.

Which other states allow composting human bodies?

The first was Washington state, whose governor, Jay Inslee, signed legislation in May 2019 authorizing the practice, followed by Vermont, Oregon, California and Colorado.

Who opposed the legislation in New York?

Among foes of the legislation were the New York State Catholic Conference, whose executive director, Dennis Proust, wrote in a letter Dec. 5 to Hochul that “the human body is a vessel of the soul and deserves dignified and respectful treatment.”

“Throughout history and in every culture, the disposition of human remains has been treated with care and following particular rituals, always involving interment or cremation. …. Composting is something we as a society associate with a sustainable method of eliminating organic trash that otherwise ends up in landfills. But human bodies are not household waste, and we do not believe that the process meets the standard of reverent treatment of our earthly remains.”

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.