New York Gov. Kathy Hochul may sign a bill that would legalize the composting of human remains as an alternative to a traditional burial or cremation, The Hill reports.
The bill, which passed the New York state legislature earlier this month, would legalize the process known as natural organic reduction, which entails placing the body of the deceased into a container that sits above ground, accelerating the decomposition process, and allowing the remains to become soil.
Recompose, a company that provides natural organic reduction, says on its website: "Human composting is the gentle transformation of a human body into soil. Recompose places each body into a stainless steel vessel along with wood chips, alfalfa, and straw. Microbes that naturally occur on the plant material and on and in our bodies power the transformation into soil. Over the next 30 days, everything inside the vessel breaks down thanks to natural decomposition."
The company then removes the soil from the vessel, screens it for "non-organic items such as hip implants," and tests it for safety before it dries and cures for about two to four weeks. After that, the families of the deceased can take the soil home or donate it for use in conservation programs.
If Hochul signs the legislation, New York would become the fourth state after Washington, Colorado, and Oregon to legalize the practice.
Democratic state Sen. Leroy Comrie told NY1, "We're glad to be one of the first states in the country to do it ... this is an eco-friendly process compared to other options."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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