Delaware Mulls Human Composting As Eco-Friendly Alternative To Burial, Cremation

[DonViejo]

04/17/2021 04:27 am ET Updated 2 hours ago

Washington is currently the only state that allows human composting.

DOVER, Del. (AP) — Democratic lawmakers in Delaware have introduced a measure that would allow composting of human bodies as an alternative to burial or cremation.

The bill introduced Thursday would permit a practice that is called “natural organic reduction” but also referred to as “human composting.”

The process involves putting a body into a large tank that also holds straw, wood chips or other natural materials for about 30 days.

The human remains and organic materials would mix with warm air and be periodically turned until the body is reduced to a soil-like material that can then be given to the dead person’s family.

more
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/human-composting-delaware_n_607a9a6be4b0deb3d5b46a6b

[jimfields33]

10. Yeah. Not yet. Lol

We have gone to cremation in our family. In 1990, we did a traditional burial for my dad as we were not cool with cremation at the time but the family changed and the last 8 or so family members have been cremated since my father. Maybe we will with this in time. Who knows.

[Danmel]

2. A similar bill has been introduced in New York

To be honest, I was pretty creeped out by it.

[TreasonousBastard]

3. Sounds creepy, and probably not many will do it, but why not?

[marie999]

4. That is a great idea. My husband will be able to help me with the garden.

[North Shore Chicago]

7. Hah!

Good for something.

[mitch96]

5. I assume this would be advantageous if you want the remains to be portable. If you are into

natural composting at a cemetery you can be buried without a coffin and after 10 or 15 years the remains would decompose to its elemental state... YMMV
m

https://www.northwoodscasket.com/northwoodscasket/2014/10/27/natural-burial-the-law-are-there-legal-matters-regarding-natural-burial

[csziggy]

15. Some places, that is not allowed

The cemetery where my parents, grandparents, and sister are buried require not only coffins but underground vaults, usually concrete, to "preserve" the body.

I want a green burial on my farm but there are state laws which make that complicated. I'd have to declare a private cemetery and set aside that piece of land for any other burials. Right now my stated preference in my legal papers is for cremation, but I may prepare a space where my husband and I can have green burials.

[Throck]

6. It's been popular with New Jersey organized crime for years.

[bluestarone]

8. Some how i get this image of animals

digging through this!

[Buns_of_Fire]

9. They're already developing a burial pod that'll turn you into a tree.

While you rest in peace, the wood, the synthetic cushioning and the metals generally used in traditional coffins – as well as the concrete around reinforced graves – continue to litter the earth.

(...snip...)

Italian designers Raoul Bretzel and Anna Citelli might have a solution. They call it Capsula Mundi – “world’s capsule” in Latin – and it’s an egg-shaped, organic casket that’s suitable for ashes, too.

Once buried, they say, the biodegradable plastic shell breaks down and the remains provide nutrients to a sapling planted right above it.

Bretzel and Citelli believe that death is as closely related to consumerism as life. Their goal? To create cemeteries full of trees rather than tombstones, reduce waste, and create new life out of death.

https://www.cnn.com/2017/05/03/world/eco-solutions-capsula-mundi/index.html
(Note: The article is from early 2018.)

Growing into a tree somehow appeals to me more than fertilizing an acre of cauliflower. (And how did this thread get this far with no mention of Soylent Green?)

[madville]

11. Sounds kind of creepy, I don't want anyone's remains

And I don’t expect my ashes to be kept on my kids fireplace mantle or anything, kinda weird that someone would want human compost.

[rampartc]

13. my ashes should, if all goes as planned, join the mississippi river.

but my ol' lady saw an episode of law and order where the murderess had her husband turned into a diamond.

[dalton99a]

12. This option is not cheap. It's $5,500 in Washington State

https://recompose.life/death-care/#pricing

Our Price

The Recompose service is $5,500. This includes:

The transformation into soil via natural organic reduction
Hands-on, personalized help from our services team
Transport of the body to our location from within King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties. Other counties are available for an additional fee. Our current transport fees are listed in our General Price List.
The laying-in, our practice of placing a body into a vessel, which friends and family are welcome to join via streaming video
The option to:
Donate the soil created to the Bells Mountain conservation forest (with one 64-ounce container of soil mailed to the person of your choice)
Pick up soil at our Kent location
or a combination of the two
The filing of the death certificate
An obituary posted on our website

[albacore]

14. I'm all for it. The whole "embalming/cemetery" thing is what's creepy to me.

Here in Washington state, composting is legal. And very sensible.
WA also has Physician Assisted Suicide, too.
Seems perfectly sensible to me.

If you want a truly "different" alternative....