Washington Is The First US State To Make Human Composting Legal

Nature can sometimes be scary in times of natural disasters, but it is also wondrous and amazing, like when organic waste can be broken down and used as fertilizer for other things. For example, used tea bags and coffee grounds are used quite frequently when it comes to home-made composts.

Now over in the state of Washington, it seems that it has become legal for people, who upon their passing, to become human composts. Those living in the state of Washington will be able to choose to have their bodies turned into soil, kind of like how people can choose to have their bodies donated to science or have their organs donated to those in need.

This will solve quite a few problems, such as the issue of space where opting to have your remains turned into soil means that your remains can be reused in a more productive manner and will not take up space like regular burials. It is also more practical than cremation where the remains are either kept in storage or just tossed away.

According to Katrina Spade, the founder of a company that can provide such services and who also lobbied for the law to be introduced, she told Agence France-Presse, “Recomposition offers an alternative to embalming and burial or cremation that is natural, safe, sustainable, and will result in significant savings in carbon emissions and land usage.”

Granted, it might not be as sentimental and maybe feel a little squeamish, but it actually makes sense. The state of Washington isn’t the first to legalize this process. Other countries such as Sweden and the UK had already made it legal for human composting.

Tyler Lee
Categories: General
Tags: Legal, Science