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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 22 May 2019

Washington is 1st state to allow composting of human bodies

By GENE JOHNSON ment as your final farewell,"
Associated Press said Sen. Jamie Pedersen,
SEATTLE (AP) — Ashes to the Seattle Democrat who
ashes, guts to dirt. sponsored the measure.
Gov. Jay Inslee signed leg- He said the legislation was
islation Tuesday making inspired by his neighbor:
Washington the first state Katrina Spade, who was
to approve composting as an architecture graduate
an alternative to burying or student at the University of
cremating human remains. Massachusetts, Amherst,
It allows licensed facilities when she began research-
to offer "natural organic ing the funeral industry. She
reduction," which turns a came up with the idea for
body, mixed with substanc- human composting, mod-
es such as wood chips eling it on a practice farm-
and straw, into about two ers have long used to dis-
wheelbarrows' worth of soil pose of livestock.
in a span of several weeks. She tweaked the process
Loved ones are allowed to and found that wood
keep the soil to spread, just chips, alfalfa and straw cre-
as they might spread the ated a mixture of nitrogen
ashes of someone who has and carbon that acceler-
been cremated — or even ates natural decomposi-
use it to plant vegetables tion when a body is placed
or a tree. in a temperature- and
"It gives meaning and use moisture-controlled vessel
to what happens to our and rotated.
bodies after death," said A pilot project at Washing-
Nora Menkin, executive di- ton State University tested Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, center, turns to talk with Katrina Spade, upper left, the founder and
rector of the Seattle-based the idea last year on six CEO of Recompose, a company that hopes to use composting as an alternative to burying or
People's Memorial Associa- bodies, all donors who cremating human remains, Tuesday, May 21, 2019, at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash., before sign-
ing a bill into law that allows licensed facilities to offer "natural organic reduction," which turns a
tion, which helps people Spade said wanted to be body, mixed with substances such as wood chips and straw, into soil in a span of several weeks.
plan for funerals. part of the study. Associated Press
Supporters say the meth- In 2017, Spade founded
od is an environmentally Recompose, a company 19 other states. The latter it as "the urban equivalent sions an atrium-like space
friendly alternative to cre- working to bring the con- uses heat, pressure, water to natural burial." where bodies are com-
mation, which releases cept to the public. It's work- and chemicals like lye to The state senator said he posted in compartments
carbon dioxide and par- ing on raising nearly $7 mil- reduce remains. has received angry emails stacked in a honeycomb
ticulates into the air, and lion to establish a facility in Cemeteries across the from people who object to design. Families will be able
conventional burial, in Seattle and begin to ex- country are allowed to of- the idea, calling it undigni- to visit, providing an emo-
which people are drained pand elsewhere, she said. fer natural or "green" buri- fied or disgusting. tional connection typically
of their blood, pumped full State law previously dic- als, by which people are "The image they have is that missing at crematoriums,
of formaldehyde and other tated that remains be dis- buried in biodegradable you're going to toss Uncle the company says.
chemicals that can pollute posed of by burial or cre- shrouds or caskets without Henry out in the backyard "It's an interesting concept,"
groundwater, and placed mation. The law, which being embalmed. Com- and cover him with food said Edward Bixby, presi-
in a nearly indestructible takes effect in May 2020, posting could be a good scraps," Pedersen said. dent of the Placerville, Cal-
coffin, taking up land. added composting as option in cities where cem- To the contrary, he said, the ifornia-based Green Burial
"That's a serious weight on well as alkaline hydrolysis, etery land is scarce, Peder- process will be respectful. Council. "I'm curious to see
the earth and the environ- a process already legal in sen said. Spade described Recompose's website envi- how well it's received."q