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New / Non-Traditional Corpse Treatment & Interment Strategies

EnolaGaia said:
As far as I know, this is the first US legislation to allow 'composting' as an interment option.
FULL STORY: https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/20/us/washington-composting-dead-bodies/index.html
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Update ... The legislation was passed, and it's been signed by Washington's governor.
Washington is 1st state to allow composting of human bodies

Gov. Jay Inslee signed legislation Tuesday making Washington the first state to approve composting as an alternative to burying or cremating human remains.

It allows licensed facilities to offer “natural organic reduction,” which turns a body, mixed with substances such as wood chips and straw, into about two wheelbarrows’ worth of soil in a span of several weeks.

Loved ones are allowed to keep the soil to spread, just as they might spread the ashes of someone who has been cremated — or even use it to plant vegetables or a tree. ...
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FULL STORY: https://www.apnews.com/65306ba86c24482baed58e7c0c2e39d7
 
EnolaGaia said:
Update ... The legislation was passed, and it's been signed by Washington's governor.


FULL STORY: https://www.apnews.com/65306ba86c24482baed58e7c0c2e39d7
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Surely this is logical progression. The cost of modern funerals & cremations is absurd and one many families can barely afford. There are many these days who really would be happy to be returned back to nature and this seems like the perfect way to do it. I'm all for it as an option.
 
Swifty said:
... I wonder if we'd make good compost?.
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Yes, and the first dedicated human composting service is scheduled to begin operations in Seattle in 2021.
The World's First Human Composting Facility Will Open in 2021

When a human being's time is up, in Western countries we generally have two main options for our mortal remains - burial or cremation. Now, a world-first facility has been set up to offer a unique alternative ritual to traditional choices: compost.

Recompose, which is scheduled to begin operations in Seattle, Washington in 2021, bills itself as the world's first human composting facility, offering to gently convert human remains into soil, in a process it calls "recomposition" or "natural organic reduction".

The company, a public benefit corporation led by founder Katrina Spade, has been in the works for years, but became a legally viable service this year when Washington passed a historic bill to become the first US state to allow human composting.

The law goes into effect in May 2020, enabling what Spade calls a "death-care revolution", in which bodies of the deceased will transform into soil in the company's reusable, hexagonal 'Recomposition Vessels'.

The process draws upon the traditional principles of natural or 'green' burials, but takes place inside the reusable vessels, rather than being permanently interred at the same time.

"Bodies are covered with wood chips and aerated, providing the perfect environment for naturally occurring microbes and beneficial bacteria," Recompose's web site explains.

"Over the span of about 30 days, the body is fully transformed, creating soil which can then be used to grow new life." ...
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FULL STORY: https://www.sciencealert.com/the-wo...ting-facility-will-turn-you-into-soil-in-2021

EDIT to Add:
Here's the website for Recompose - the organization that will launch the service in 2021 ...

https://www.recompose.life/
 
EnolaGaia said:
Yes, and the first dedicated human composting service is scheduled to begin operations in Seattle in 2021.

FULL STORY: https://www.sciencealert.com/the-wo...ting-facility-will-turn-you-into-soil-in-2021

EDIT to Add:
Here's the website for Recompose - the organization that will launch the service in 2021 ...

https://www.recompose.life/
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I reckon it's a damned fine idea. For those of us that choose so, why not put us to good use when we're dead? I'm all for some good coming from a bad situation.
 
On the subject of post-mortem research, here's a story which we've probably had before in the Corpse Mishandling thread.
A man donated his mother's corpse for Alzheimer's research but later found out that it had been sold on and, well, blown up.

Man says 'I feel foolish' after learning mother's body was sold to US army, strapped to chair and blown up


The son of a great grandmother whose dead body was secretly sold to the US military where it was blown up in a so-called "blast test” has said he will never recover from finding out what happened to her.

Jim Stauffer, of Phoenix, Arizona, donated mum Doris’s corpse for medical research when she died in 2013 after suffering with Alzheimer’s disease.

But the 74-year-old’s body was then passed to the army where it was strapped to a chair before a bomb was detonated underneath it.
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I know I'm a bad snail for finding this amusing! but it's one of the funniest things I've ever heard.
My own kids'd frankly laugh their TITS off if this happened to me. In fact I'd like to know how to arrange it for their entertainment.
 
GerdaWordyer said:
I want to fight crime and solve mysteries.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forensic_Anthropology_Center_at_Texas_State
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There's a book about how the original 'Body Farm' was set up. The people who arranged it all and went round checking everything found that the odour of decomposition clung to their clothes and possessions. When they stopped for a bite on the way home they were asked to sit pn the balcony because they were upsetting the other customers.

When I read that book I sometimes used to have to put it down and look around at the sky and the trees in my garden, to cope with the gruesomeness.
 
EnolaGaia said:
Yes, and the first dedicated human composting service is scheduled to begin operations in Seattle in 2021.
FULL STORY: https://www.sciencealert.com/the-wo...ting-facility-will-turn-you-into-soil-in-2021
https://www.recompose.life/
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Update ...

Recompose is still on track to begin operations in 2021. The founder / CEO is interviewed in this BBC article ...
Human compost funerals 'better for environment'

A US firm has given scientific details of its "human composting" process for environmentally friendly funerals.

A pilot study on deceased volunteers showed that soft tissue broke down safely and completely within 30 days.

The firm, Recompose, claims that its process saves more than a tonne of carbon, compared to cremation or traditional burial.

It says that it will offer the world's first human composting service in Washington state from next February.

Speaking exclusively to BBC News, Recompose's chief executive and founder, Katrina Spade, said that concerns about climate change had been a big factor in so many people expressing interest in the service.

"So far 15,000 people have signed up to our newsletter. And the legislation to allow this in the state received bi-partisan support enabling it to pass the first time it was tabled," she said. ...
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SOURCE: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-51389084
 
Dutch students have developed a "living coffin" composed of mycelium - a natural / living material that facilitates decomposition and conversion of a corpse into useful soil.
Dutch Students Develop a “Living Coffin”

The Delft University of Technology student start-up Loop has developed a living coffin made from mycelium. The Living Cocoon helps the body to ‘compost’ more efficiently, removes toxic substances, and produces richer conditions in which to grow (new) trees and plants. After extensive testing, including in collaboration with two major funeral cooperatives CUVO (The Hague) and De Laatste Eer (Delft), this new form of burial is ready to be applied in practice. The first of the initial limited batch of ten Living Cocoons was already used for a funeral last week. ...

Mycelium normally grows underground in the complex root structure of trees, plants, and fungi. It is a living organism that can neutralize all kinds of toxic substances and provides nutrition to everything that grows above the ground. Bob Hendrikx, who founded Loop, calls mycelium nature’s recycler: “It’s constantly looking for waste materials to convert into nutrients for the environment. It does the same with toxic substances, including oil, plastic, and metal. For example, mycelium was used in Chernobyl, is utilized in Rotterdam to clean up soil and some farmers also apply it to make the land healthy again.” ...

“The Living Cocoon enables people to become one with nature again and to enrich the soil, instead of polluting it,” says Hendrikx. The speed at which a body composts generally depends on various conditions, but experience shows that it can take over a decade. ... Loop expects that their coffin will be able to complete this entire process in two to three years, because it actively contributes to the composting process. In that process, not only are the waste products from the human body converted into nutrients, the quality of the surrounding soil is also improved, giving new life an opportunity to thrive. ...
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FULL STORY (With Photos):
https://scitechdaily.com/dutch-students-develop-a-living-coffin/
 
Dutch Man Invents Coffin That Turns Bodies Into Mushrooms: ‘We are nutrients, not waste’
In the Netherlands, an 82-year old woman was recently laid to rest in a coffin made entirely of fast-composting mushroom fibres that will considerably increase the health of the soil in the years that follow. Dubbed the ‘Living Cocoon,’ the coffin gives an option for a more ecologically conscious generation who may want to leave a positive impact on the planet after they’ve gone.

Created by 26-year-old Bob Hendrikx, a bio-designer from the University of Delft, the Living Cocoon is made by growing mycelium around a coffin-shaped frame. Mycelium is the part of the mushroom we can’t see—the underground fibrous network that makes up most of the lifeform. Hendrikx also referred to it as “nature’s recycler,” as mycelium has been shown by mushroom scientists, called mycologists, to be able to process things which other agents of decomposition can’t tackle.
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mushroom-coffin-released-loop-bob-hendrikx-1.jpg


https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/bob-hendrikx-living-cocoon-mushroom-coffin/
 
EnolaGaia said:
... the first dedicated human composting service is scheduled to begin operations in Seattle in 2021. ...
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Update ... Three human composting facilities are now licensed and operating in Washington (state).
Humans now being legally composted in Washington

Walt Patrick slowly rolls a giant wooden spool-shaped cradle back and forth. Inside, a human body is gradually being turned into compost, one of the first licensed “natural organic reductions” to be performed in the entire country.

“This is simply another option at a time when people feel they have no options,” Patrick said. ...

Patrick is the senior steward at Herland Forest, a natural burial cemetery and nonprofit research center located north of the Columbia River Gorge in Klickitat County. Natural organic reduction (NOR) has given them a second way to return bodies to the land. ...

In 2019, Gov. Jay Inslee signed legislation making Washington the first state to approve composting as an alternative to burying or cremating human remains. Advocates say composting is a greener alternative to cremation because it uses less energy. It’s also the only legal way for Washingtonians to be laid to rest on their own property, albeit in the form of mulch.

The new law took effect in 2020. It took a while to get the program running, though.

There are three facilities in Washington licensed to perform Natural Organic Reduction. Herland Forest and Seattle-based Recompose both received their first bodies in December, while Return Home out of Auburn expects to open later this year. ...
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FULL STORY: https://www.kron4.com/news/national/humans-now-being-legally-composted-in-washington/
 
In 2019, Luke Perry of TV’s Beverly Hills 90210 was buried in a mushroom suit.

Dress the body in a mushroom suit and place body in the ground and “ Mother Nature “ will do the rest.

Eco friendly.
 
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Per his instructions, Desmond Tutu's remains were processed via aquamation (alkaline hydrolysis).
What is aquamation? The green alternative to cremation chosen by Desmond Tutu

... At his request, the Nobel Peace Prize winner's body underwent aquamation -- considered to be a greener alternative to cremation -- South Africa's Anglican Church confirmed to CNN on Saturday.

Aquamation is a water-based process whose scientific name is "alkaline hydrolysis", in which a "combination of gentle water flow, temperature, and alkalinity are used to accelerate the breakdown of organic materials" when a body is laid to rest in soil, according to Bio-Response Solutions, a US company which specializes in the process.

The company's website says the process "uses 90% less energy than flame cremation and does not emit any harmful greenhouse gases."

According to the Cremation Association of North America (CANA), an international non-profit organization, alkaline hydrolysis is sometimes referred to as flameless cremation.

The body is placed in an alkaline hydrolysis machine, comprised of an airtight chamber filled with a solution made of water and alkaline chemicals. The chamber is then heated, liquifying the body and leaving only bone behind, according to CANA's website.

Once the bones are dried they can be pulverized. "The process results in approximately 32% more cremated remains than flame-based cremation and may require a larger urn," according to CANA. ...
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FULL STORY: https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/02/africa/desmond-tutu-aquamation-intl/index.html
 
This news story provides an overview and update on aquamation's spread in the USA. It focuses on Texas, where aquamation is legal only for pets and other animals. Human aquamation currently has to be performed in another state.
'A much gentler process' | Water cremation growing in popularity in Texas

... More than half of all Americans choose cremation over caskets and traditional burials. Costs and concern for the environment have people shifting attitudes.

Now people are choosing something new – something seen as radical. People are deciding to have their bodies dissolved. ...

Called Aquamation or water cremation, it is the process anti-apartheid leader and environmental champion Desmond Tutu chose last month for his remains. With no contributions to greenhouse gases, it's considered a greener alternative to cremation.

It uses water instead of fire to return the body to nature. About 20 U.S. states have legalized the process, most over the past decade. It's not legal in Texas, but Green Cremation Texas will ship bodies to St. Louis for the procedure and then return the crushed bones.

"We're seeing it grow in popularity. I would say to date, we've done maybe a couple hundred families," said Eric Neuhaus with Green Cremation Texas, LLC. ...

"What's leftover is that brittle bone and effluent. Okay, that effluent well, a lot of times, and this is where people get hung up on, that effluent is discharged into the local sewer system," said Neuhaus.

Because the liquified remains are flushed down the drain, Catholic Bishops in states that allow aquamation have written they do not approve of it.

The Catholic Bishops of Missouri issued this statement that said:

"While the process of alkaline hydrolysis may not be intrinsically wrong, we believe it fails to show due reverence and respect for the human remains of the deceased by subjecting the dissolved human remains to being flushed into the sewer system. The human remains of the deceased by...being flushed into the sewer system."

Aquamation is legal for pets and animals in Texas. ...
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FULL STORY (With Video): https://www.kens5.com/article/news/...exas/273-12b45014-c3d7-407a-a587-91e66b6280f6
 
The first human remains to be legally composted in Colorado have been laid to rest, and the number of corpses entering the process is growing.
Colorado lays to rest first legally composted human remains

A funeral home laid to rest Colorado's first legally composted human remains Sunday, less than a year after the state legalized the process as a greener alternative to cremation and traditional burial.

The weekend ceremony was to lay to rest the person who was reported to be the first in the state to use the process of converting human bodies into soil, known as "natural reduction," according to The Natural Funeral, a Colorado funeral services provider. ...

About six months ago, the remains of the first person in the state to choose natural reduction were placed in an air-filtered chamber with wood chips, alfalfa, straw and “a lot of microbial beings.” That began a natural digestion and conversion process that took six months, said Seth Viddal, the managing partner at The Natural Funeral.

One body makes about a pickup truck bed’s worth of soil, NBC affiliate KUSA of Denver reported.

In May Gov. Jared Polis signed into law a bill legalizing natural reduction, which advocates in the state pitched as a more environmentally friendly way to die.

The law "prohibits the soil of multiple people to be combined without their permission, for the soil to be used to grow food for human consumption or for it to be sold," KUSA reported. ...

At a cost of $7,900, natural reduction is pricier than a typical Denver cremation, which runs from $3,000 to $5,000, KUSA reported.

“To distinguish this service from something like cremation, which is an instant service — the process in its entirety is just a few hours — whereas with body composting we have a four- to six-month managed biological process, so I'm not anticipating that natural reduction will ever equal the price of a flame cremation," Viddal said. "We hope the price will become a little bit more competitive."
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FULL STORY: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-new...rst-legally-composted-human-remains-rcna20895
 
But its not cheaper than cremation.

And you cant scatter it where you please, like a cremation.
 

Decomposing human remains can legally be used as compost from 2027 thanks to new California law aimed at tackling climate change​


California will begin offering the option of human composting after death thanks to a bill recently signed into law that aims to tackle climate change.

Human composting, also known as natural organic reduction (NOR), would be an option for residents who don't want to be buried or cremated upon their death - starting in 2027.

The process involves placing the body inside a long, reusable steel container along with wood chips and flowers to aerate it - allowing microbes and bacteria to do break down the remains.

Approximately one month later, the remains will fully decompose and be turned into soil.

Advocates for the bill, which was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday, have said that NOR is a more climate-friendly option.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/science...new-California-law-tackle-climate-change.html

maximus otter
 
For those who want an eco friendly funeral (I think this is a great idea):

INSIDE ONE OF THE WORLD’S FIRST HUMAN COMPOSTING FACILITIES​

Death is a part of life at Return Home, where families grieve and bodies become soil​

Rachel Gerberding has a green thumb. So when her mother died this April, Gerberding decided to compost her. Gerberding, who lives in Washington state in a house surrounded by flowers, had heard about a newly legal method to turn human remains into soil. “I was like, ‘Mom, it would be such a wonderful thing for me — to be able to just walk through [my garden] and be like, ‘Oh, hi, Mom,’” Gerberding, 48, said, recounting their conversation. Sharon Gerberding, who had previously planned on a simple cremation, agreed: “I’m going to be dead,” she told Rachel. “Do whatever you want!”

That’s why Sharon, who died from complications of multiple sclerosis, was laid to rest in an industrial park 30 minutes south of Seattle. On a chilly spring day, her family gathered in a nondescript, hangar-style building tucked between a belt rubber warehouse, recycling facilities, and an air quality testing company. Staff had placed Sharon’s body in a vessel filled with alfalfa, straw, sawdust, and notes written in biodegradable ink. Hymns played over the speaker system, a tribute to Sharon’s membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. By early summer, all that would be left of their matriarch was a few hundred pounds of rich, dark soil.
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https://www.theverge.com/c/23307867/human-composting-process-return-home
 
I have just heard about this possibility in the last couple of years:. This is the Ontario, CA natural burial site:
https://naturalburialassociation.ca/about-natural-burial/

There are not many designated green areas available, but there are hybrid settings ie a cemetery can have an agreement that there is an area available for natural burials.

If this becomes more available, (note that Ontario is not quite to accepting natural burial without attaching fees) then I would go for it. Otherwise, just cremate me and scatter me on your garden:).
 
I saw an ad last night for a cremation service that 'took care of everything' and then shipped the nearest and dearest the ashes. Kind of like that, skipping the whole dreary funeral bit and going straight to a decent well-lubricated and fed wake in the comfort of one's own home.
 
Coal said:
I saw an ad last night for a cremation service that 'took care of everything' and then shipped the nearest and dearest the ashes. Kind of like that, skipping the whole dreary funeral bit and going straight to a decent well-lubricated and fed wake in the comfort of one's own home.
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This sort of no-frills / no-ceremony approach seems to be the trend.

In tracking down obituaries and funerals for old acquaintances who'd retired to Florida and died over the past two years I'd noticed a number of service providers in that area had adopted this sort of bare-bones (no pun intended) approach - cremation only; services (if any) left to the survivors' discretion.

Within the past week I'd discovered from digging through funeral home sites in my hometown area that a surprising proportion of customers didn't even bother to have obituaries posted in the local newspapers any more. A similarly surprising number announced no funeral / interment service would be held, any such service would be private, or the ceremonial response would be limited to a memorial gathering at some later date.
 
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