Green Funeral Practice
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February 5, 2024
Note: The table on this page is kept up to date to reflect the legal status of human composting in each state in the US. It can be considered an accurate snapshot of the legislative landscape at any given time.
Human composting is growing rapidly in popularity as a green funeral option, but is not yet legal and available in all states.
Human composting is referred to as natural organic reduction in legislation, and is commonly known elsewhere as soil transformation.
As an environmentally-friendly alternative to cremation and burial, the process is appealing to the huge number of people concerned about their impact on our planet. Human composting is also a gentle and natural process that can aid conservation efforts, and therefore represents a return to nature that resonates with many.
In recent years, the legislative landscape has followed this growing interest and ten states have either legalized human composting or are currently formally considering legalization. Bodies can also be legally transported across state lines, which makes human composting possible for residents of states where the process isn’t yet legal.
Bills can be proposed multiple times. If a bill does not pass in a legislative session, it can simply be reintroduced in the next session. This has been the case with human composting bills in multiple states.
What is Human Composting?
Human composting is a natural, eco-friendly alternative to traditional funeral practices. The process gently transforms a body into nutrient-rich soil over a 45-day period.
The cubic yard of healthy soil produced is perfect for conserving and restoring land. This means that families can use some of the soil for memorialization and the rest can be used for conservation projects. Soil health is fundamental for reforestation, erosion control and revitalizing challenged ecosystems.
Human composting is therefore friendly to the environment both during and after the actual process.
Where is Human Composting Legal?
All disposition methods are strictly regulated in the US. Legislation must expressly provide for natural organic reduction, which means states must actively change their laws to allow for the process.
In states where the process is legal, operators must obtain a license from the state’s funeral regulator before providing services.
Washington was the first state to legalize the process in 2019, with the law taking effect in May 2020. Since then, other states have followed and, with momentum building, further states are expected to do the same.
About Earth
At Earth, we call our proprietary human composting process ‘soil transformation’. We operate from the largest and most advanced facilities in the world, and our services are currently available in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington.
We offer services for those who have an immediate need, as well as those looking to plan ahead for the future.
If you are interested in our human composting services, you can get a personalized quote here. We also have a number of useful articles in our Guide, covering green funeral practices, end-of-life planning and more.
