Recently, Washington state has passed a bill to allow composting of human remains. This is a process of using microorganisms and beneficial bacteria to quickly decompose the human body. In essence, it turns the corpse into soil. On average, each corpse can produce 0.76 cubic meters of soil. This will be more environmentally friendly than traditional funeral methods!
Washington will become the first state in the United States to legalize composting of human remains. Last Friday, the State Senate and house of Representatives finally approved bill 5001 (entitled 'about human remains'), which includes' organic reduction' and alkaline hydrolysis, a dissolution process, sometimes called 'liquid cremation', as a traditional acceptable alternative to burial and cremation.
"I'm very much for composting!" said Wes McMahan, a retired cardiovascular intensive care nurse.
'in the past 64 years, my body has brought me a lot of benefits. When I use it up, do I want to poison it with formaldehyde and other antiseptic chemicals? No! "Wes McMahan said," burn? But what about all the bacteria I've worked in this body for so long? Do I want to give them a chance to do what they naturally do? I believe in doing things as naturally as possible. '
The passage of the bill has fulfilled Katrina spade's long-standing wish in Seattle and is another step for her to realize her vision over the years. Sped is the founder and CEO of recompose, which aims to become the first 'composting of human remains' funeral home in the United States
In the seven years since spade officially launched the nonprofit called urban death, she has been working with scientists in East Washington and North Carolina to study how the human body breaks down in the soil.
The remains will be placed in an airtight container, covered with straw or sawdust and other natural materials. In about three to seven weeks, they will be decomposed into soil by microbial activities. On average, each body can produce 0.76 cubic meters of 'soil'. Some non organic materials, such as metal dental fillings, cardiac pacemakers and prosthetics, will be recycled as much as possible.
Six volunteers participated in the experiment, and the results were satisfactory: the 'soil' smells like soil, and this is the soil. Many residents of Washington state expressed their welcome to the bill. They were very excited that they could grow a tree or grow tomatoes.
Sped said that during the time when the body is decomposed, the family members of the deceased can visit the company's facilities and take away the final decomposed 'soil'. They are free to decide what to do with the 'soil', either in their own gardens or to local environmental groups.