Making funeral arrangements can be a challenging process, both financially and emotionally. As surviving relatives cope with losing a loved one, they look for ways to celebrate their life and find closure. While traditional methods like burial and cremation are still widely practiced, there is a unique and increasingly popular option – human composting (or terramation). This innovative and sustainable method is gaining popularity as a way to celebrate the life of family members in a meaningful and environmentally-friendly way.

What is human composting, and how does it work?

You might be familiar with the idea of composting kitchen waste, which is the process of mixing food scraps and other materials to speed up decomposition. These composted materials make incredible soil that is great for growing plants and crops. Human composting is the same general idea. 

The process of composting human remains, also known as terramation, is much like composting any other organic matter – just on a slightly larger scale. The body is placed in a specially designed steel cylinder, surrounded by a mixture of wood chips, straw, and alfalfa to speed up the decomposition process. The operator adds oxygen to support the microbes and bacteria that help break down the organic matter, and keeps the temperature between 130 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. 

In some facilities, the contents of the cylinder are blended to break up the remaining bone fragments and speed up the decomposition. The entire process takes about 30 days and results in one cubic yard of nutrient-rich soil, often used by loved ones to plant a tree or donated to nature conservation. This innovative and sustainable method of honoring a loved one offers a unique, natural way to return their remains to the earth.

What’s driving interest in human composting?

Human composting has experienced a surge in popularity since its legalization in 2019. Since then, six states have legalized it – Washington, Oregon, Vermont, California, Colorado, and New York. This natural method of returning remains to the earth aligns with various philosophical views, but what, exactly, is driving this trend?

Cost

Death care rituals, as they are called, are changing, and traditional burials are waning. According to one study conducted by USC professor and author David Sloane, only 4% of the population was cremated in 1960. David Sloane estimates that it will surpass 70% by 2030. A major reason is the cost. Though costs vary by state, the national median average for a viewing and burial is $7,848. Meanwhile, cremation costs $6,970. Because cost is a driving factor in death care rituals, human composting is expected to become more popular in the near future. Human composting costs average between $4,000 to $5,000, making it the most financially prudent option.

Closure

Cost is not the only consideration. What about closure? 

As noted by Sloane, how society views death is undergoing a transformation. In the past, mourning was a highly private affair, dating back to the Victorian Era and continuing through the 20th century. However, with the advent of social media, the celebration of life and reflection on what lies beyond have become increasingly public and digitized. Now, cemetery funerals and burials are no longer the sole means of finding closure and paying tribute. In fact, human composting offers an alternative that not only aligns with a more sustainable and philosophical approach, but also provides a unique way for mourners to bring closure. 

Climate Change

Lastly, ecological factors play a role in adopting human composting. Due to land restrictions and soil availability, cemeteries will eventually run out of space. Traditional burial also releases metals and toxins into the atmosphere from the decomposing body and hazardous, non-biodegradable materials that are part of the burial process. 

While cremation seems like an eco-friendly alternative, a single cremation can release 530 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This is one big reason why eco-conscious people are choosing human composting over cremation.

Which states allow human composting?

In Washington state, human composting has been legally recognized since 2019. In the following years, Colorado and Oregon followed suit. California and Vermont legalized the process in 2022, and, most recently, New York did so at the beginning of 2023. It is important to note that the bills legalizing Natural Organic Reduction (NOR), commonly known as human composting, come with a few restrictions. The soil produced from this process may not be sold, mixed with other composted remains without consent, or used for commercial food production.

As interest in environmentally friendly funeral arrangements builds, one can expect more states to legalize these types of burial arrangements. Additionally, as more people move away from traditional burial or cremation arrangements for financial and/or personal reasons, the number of people embracing human composting for final arrangements will also increase.

Some facilities, like Recompose in Seattle, have a Precompose investment program where people can allocate funds in advance to cover the cost of their own composting. Their chic facility in Seattle’s SODO neighborhood has 54 pods for transforming human remains into the soil. Relatives can keep the compost or donate it to Bells Mountain, a 700-acre nonprofit land trust in southern Washington.

Why is human composting illegal in some states?

Human composting is illegal in most locations, especially if you do it alone. Why? Well, when human composting is done without careful supervision, it can spread pathogens and diseases. States that legalized composting require it to be done in a facility that monitors an accelerated, controlled process from start to finish. 

Although it is forbidden to use human compost for commercial purposes, the surviving relatives may use it for whatever they want. In some cases, they decide to donate to an ecological land trust like Bells Mountain. But in other cases, they may want to take the fertilizer home to plant a tree on their own property — a ritual that may bring closure even as it reminds them of the cyclic nature of life on earth.

What do religious institutions have to say about human composting?

Speaking of rituals, an additional consideration for some individuals is the spiritual nature of human composting versus burial. In some religions, the preferred mode of death care is burial, while in others, it is cremation. Accelerated human composting, by contrast, is an entirely new method of interment that may tie in with new age rituals and contemporary thoughts on life, death, and what undiscovered country lies beyond (to quote Shakespeare).

Is human composting for you?

While human composting offers a more economical alternative to cremation and traditional burial, it still involves costs that can run into thousands of dollars. For families where the deceased was the primary breadwinner, this can raise additional questions about financial support for the survivors and the cost of the death ritual. 

However, a comprehensive life insurance policy can help alleviate these concerns by providing funds for final arrangements, including human composting. So, if you are considering human composting as part of your final wishes, having a strong life insurance policy can help ensure that your wishes are honored and your loved ones are taken care of.