New Jersey is living up to its nickname even in death.
The Garden State approved a bill that legalizes human composting, an alternative to traditional burials in which a corpse is transformed into nutrient-rich soil that loved ones can use to feed their favorite houseplant or scatter like ashes.
Human composting, more formally known as natural organic reduction, has skyrocketed in popularity after the COVID-19 pandemic left more than a million Americans dead.
New Jersey is the 14th state to have legalized the practice over the last six years.
New Jersey legalized human composting last week. Getty Images for Earth FuneralFuneral homes and other relevant end-of-life facilities in New Jersey will be able to offer the service locally within the next 10 months, eliminating the lengthy go-around that saw many residents traveling out of state to seek the treatment in areas where it was already legal.
The New Jersey Funeral Directors Association collaborated with lawmakers to craft the legislation as residents in the Garden State started showing interest and even shipping their loved ones’ bodies out of state for the special preparation.
Human composting is a process in which a person’s body decomposes in organic materials and is combined with dirt. Getty Images for Earth FuneralThe human composting process, though, isn’t nearly as speedy as commonly accepted methods like cremation.
The entire ordeal takes a staggering 45 days as the “body is gently transformed into nutrient-rich soil,” according to Earth Funeral’s website. Earth Funeral has been at the heart of human composting since Washington, where the company is based, became the first state to legalize the practice in 2019.
The body is left in a “vessel” anywhere from 45 to 60 days, depending on the state. Getty Images for Earth Funeral
Then, the materials are returned to the deceased’s loved ones, who can scatter the dirt like traditional cremated ashes or use it in a plant. Getty Images for Earth FuneralHuman composting doesn’t vary much from regular composting. The person’s corpse is placed in a “vessel” with organic materials like straw and alfalfa before being sealed inside and attached to an HVAC system.
From there, it’s left to decompose. Exactly how long the body is allowed to break down in the cradle varies from state to state.
With Earth Funeral, the deceased’s loved ones are in control even from across the country and can decide how much soil they’d like returned to them, ranging from a smidgeon to scatter similarly to cremated ashes or enough to comfortably house a potted plant.
New York legalized human composting in 2022 through a bill that placed emphasis on the Empire State’s goal to eliminate carbon emissions by 2050.
Much of the greenhouse gases that pollute Earth come from where many would least expect, including cow flatulence and gas emitted from decomposing corpses, even those buried in the ground.
