New York approves composting of human bodies

New York has become the latest US state to allow so-called human composting.

A person can now have their body turned into soil after their death – which is seen as an environmentally friendly alternative to a burial or cremation.

Also known as “natural organic reduction”, the practice sees a body decompose over several weeks after being shut in a container.

In 2019, Washington was the first US state to legalise it. Colorado, Oregon, Vermont and California followed suit.

New York is therefore the sixth American jurisdiction to allow human composting, following Saturday’s stamp of approval from Kathy Hochul, the state’s Democratic governor.

The process happens in special above-ground facilities.

A body is put in a closed vessel along with selected materials such as woodchips, alfalfa and straw grass, and gradually breaks down under the action of microbes.

After a period of around a month – and a heating process to kill off any contagion – loved ones are given the resulting soil. This can be used in planting flowers, vegetables or trees.

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