New York Governor Kathy Hochul legalized on Saturday (31) the so-called “natural organic reduction,” popularly known as human composting after death.
The state becomes the sixth in the country to approve this type of legislation, which gives residents access to an alternative method to traditional burial or cremation, in addition to being environmentally sustainable.
Washington was the first state to legalize human composting in 2019, followed by Colorado and Oregon in 2021, then Vermont and California at the end of 2022.
How is human composting done?
The process varies, but in most cases, it takes place inside a cylindrical container, where there is a bed made of plant materials such as straw, wood chips, sawdust, and alfalfa. The body, wrapped in a cotton cloth, is placed under the bed. During the ceremony, loved ones can add flowers and other significant organic materials. Air (and, in some cases, moisture) is pumped into the container to ensure that conditions are ideal for decomposition. The microbes naturally found in the body and in the plant material begin to break everything down. The temperature and airflow are monitored and controlled, and the vessel is intermittently rotated for aeration. Gases released in the process are treated with a biofilter before being released.
After six to eight weeks, the body has undergone a complete transformation. What remains are bone fragments, any medical implants, and nutrient-rich soil. The remaining bones are ground into powder in a machine commonly used after cremation, before being returned to the soil for further breakdown. Medical implants are hand-sorted and recycled. The soil is also tested for any harmful chemicals, such as lead, mercury, arsenic, and even fecal coliforms. The soil is left to dry and cure.
Once the process is completed, there will be approximately one cubic meter of new soil created from the mixture of what was, initially, human remains and plant matter.
This special earth can then be kept in a cemetery, placed in a grave, or given to the family to use as they see fit. New York’s law defines the final product as soil, with no restrictions on its use.
There are environmental and financial reasons why this process makes sense for New York. The city is running out of space for burials. With low supply, a burial space in the state costs between $4,500 to $19,000. In Manhattan, it can cost up to $1 million. This price does not include the additional dollars paid to the funeral home to prepare and transport the body.
The usual way to save on these costs is to opt for cremation, which averages around $2,500. But cremation has downsides. The process uses as much fossil fuel per body as a car trip of 800 kilometers. And it releases harmful air pollutants such as dioxins and mercury. Human composting uses only one-eighth of that energy and costs an average of $7,000. This process also avoids the release of about one metric ton of CO2 less per body, compared to conventional burial or cremation.
For many people, in addition to the practical reasons mentioned, there are emotional reasons. How about returning our elements to nature, using the soil to plant a tree, for example?
There are still some opponents to the method. The New York State Catholic Conference encouraged church followers to urge the governor to veto the bill. The organization argued that the process “does not pay the respect due to the remains,” according to the Catholic Mail.
Source: The Guardian and The New York Times