Human remains converted to compost for use in gardens: a stone's throw from Washington's legality

Washington could become the first state to allow the use of human remains as "compost"in so-called ecological burials.

After one year of presentation of the initiative, State legislators approved last Friday a bill that would allow residents to remove their remains using the "natural organic reduction" after his death.

The bill cites research that human remains would be safe for use in residential gardens.

Proponents of the bill argue that there is a growing demand for environmentally friendly funerals that offer an alternative to traditional burials or cremations.

Katrina Spade, founder of the ecological funeral company Recompose, plans to use wood chips, alfalfa and straw to turn the bodies into compost and says that the bill brings us closer to a "future in which every human death contributes to creating healthy soil and healing the planet".

Human compost is also a greener option for the treatment of corpses: the energy required is eight times less than that of a cremation. For each person who chooses before cremation or burial, you save the equivalent of 1000 kilos of CO2, estimated this company.

"It's an understandable trend to limit the time we spend contemplating our options after death, but environmental realities push us to develop alternatives to chemical embalming and carbon cremation and the mbadive land use requirements of traditional cemeteries, "Spade said. Telegraph.

Katrina Spade, founder of Recompose, plans to start a business in Washington who will offer the service.

In 2014, Spade joined with Lynne Carpenter-Boggs, professor of organic and sustainable agriculture. from the University of Washington State. Together, they began to study the viability of human compost.

According to Carpenter-Boggs, in human remains, there is a lot of protein and moisture, as happens with the body of any animal. To facilitate their rapid decomposition, they are deposited in a container containing oxygen and plant material.such as alfalfa, straw and wood chips. This combination stimulates microbial activity, which eliminates bacteria and viruses from the body. The process usually takes about 30 days. According to Spade, they accelerate the natural process that occurs in forests "as dead organic matter breaks down by creating the top layer of soil."

Katrina Spade, spoke to Democrat Jamie Pedersen, excited about this idea and helped him introduce a bill. qLast year, he moved to the state Senate and was subsequently unanimously approved. (with minor touches) in a House Consumer Protection Committee.

According to Pedersen, human compost is perfect for Washington, a state where interest in the environment predominates. and less religiosity than other places in the country. According to a recent Gallup poll, nearly one in two adults in Washington is not considered
religious

Katrina Spade is the one who has insisted most that state legislators consider legalizing the practice.. Director and founder of the human composting company Recompose, Spade had the idea while he was studying at the university when a friend told him about the old habit of peasants using the deadstock to make compost.. Spade suddenly realized that this option, more respectful of the environment, could also be used for human remains.

"It was a truly wonderful epiphany to realize that we had not yet explored all the paths we have from our body, from our physical being, after death.and that this could be a really useful and practical alternative, as well as a possibility that has an emotional meaning for many people, "says Spade. Cremation stops this cycle of life to death and death to life, ruining the potential of our bodies, which can be returned to the earth. "

The bill has been in preparation for several years and even underwent a test in which six test subjects were organically reduced.

The results were positive and "the soil smelled of earth and nothing else"says the report.

A report from NBC News last year declared the procedure It could cost $ 5,500.