Post by M. Hawbaker on May 29, 2019 16:51:08 GMT
Washington has become the first state to legalize “human composting,” an alternative to conventional burial and cremation that produces topsoil suitable for gardening.
Gov. Jay Inslee signed legislation Tuesday permitting the practice, described by proponents as an eco-friendly form of final disposition. Inslee, a Democrat, is making climate change the focus of his presidential campaign, and advocates calculate that natural organic reduction — as composting is more delicately termed — will save about a ton of carbon emissions for each body.
Gov. Jay Inslee signed legislation Tuesday permitting the practice, described by proponents as an eco-friendly form of final disposition. Inslee, a Democrat, is making climate change the focus of his presidential campaign, and advocates calculate that natural organic reduction — as composting is more delicately termed — will save about a ton of carbon emissions for each body.
The law, set to take effect May 1, 2020, paves the way for a Seattle business to build the nation’s first funeral home offering the service. The company, called Recompose, will place bodies in steel vessels with wood chips, alfalfa and straw, enabling microbes to break down bodies into soil in about a month.
