New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul approved legislation Saturday legalizing human composting as a method of burial in the state.
Natural organic reduction, or human composting, is a “green” method of burial that places the body of a deceased person into a reusable vessel with plant material such as wood chips and straw. The organic mix creates an ideal environment for microbes to quickly break down the body in about a month’s time yielding about 36 bags of nutrient-dense soil, according to the Associated Press.
Hochul’s legislation makes New York the sixth state in the United States to permit this alternate method of burial, following Washington state, Colorado, Oregon, Vermont and California, the outlet added.
Howard Fischer, a 63-year-old investor who resides just north of New York City, celebrated the announcement, as he would be able to adopt an environmentally conscious philosophy in life as well as in death. “I am committed to having my body composted and my family knows that,” he told the AP. “But I would love for it to happen in New York where I live rather than shipping myself across the country.”
Kathy Hochul signed a bill into law that legalized human composting in New York.https://t.co/NM0FoVGetn
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) January 1, 2023
Founder of a full-service green funeral home, Recompose, Katrina Spade told CBS that human composting is a “movement” among the environmentally aware. “Cremation uses fossil fuels and burial uses a lot of land and has a carbon footprint,” she told the outlet. (RELATED: Border Town Is Running Out Of Spaces To Bury Bodies Of Deceased Migrants)
“For a lot of folks being turned into soil that can be turned to grow into a garden or tree is pretty impactful,” Spade added.
Not all agree with Spade’s thinking, and oppose the method as disrespectful and irreverent.
“Human bodies are not household waste, and we do not believe that the process meets the standard of reverent treatment of our earthly remains,” Dennis Poust, executive director of the New York State Catholic Conference told the AP.
“A process that is perfectly appropriate for returning vegetable trimmings to the earth is not necessarily appropriate for human bodies,” he added.
