A new method of burial consisting of composting the human body has gained popularity in recent years due to its eco-benefits and relative cheapness, with calls to make it legal in the UK.
A human composting facility is offering people the chance to be buried in nature – or composted – after they die, for less money than a traditional funeral.
The method, which is gaining more and more popularity, sees the human body returned to the earth through a unique burial process, and costs as little as £5,500 ($7,000).
Offered by a company called Recompose in Seattle, US, human composting – or terramation – is the perfect nature-lovers’ send off and with the cost of dying soaring in the UK, could even be a cheaper option.
The average funeral in the UK, including professional fees and send-off costs, can amount to nearly £10,000, according to SunLife.
However, the process is not yet legal in the UK, despite calls on social media for it to be brought across the pond.
But if you’re curious about the process, here’s what human composting consists of:
Much like composting anything else, the human body will be broken down in a mixture of wood chips, alfalfa and straw.
This is a lengthy process and takes between eight and 12 weeks to complete – but uses almost 80% less energy that a traditional burial or cremation, according to Recompose.
There are four phases in total, the second of which is known as ‘laying in’, where the body is placed inside a large vessel behind a door in a white, honey-comb-shaped receptible.
Then, under monitoring by the Recompose team, it is left to decompose into soil – the amount of which generated varies from person to person but is typically about 500-1000lbs (about 225kg to 450kg).
The soil can then be used by families and loved ones in the same way as a classic compost, to nurture house plants and flower gardens.
Morgan Yarborough, a licensed funeral director who leads the services team, said seeing the compost for the first time often leads to strong reactions in loved ones.
She said: “Upon first receiving the compost, clients are moved to touch it immediately – it’s tangible, full of life, and smells like the forest floor.”
“Their loved one’s energy carries on and grows new life.”
Private rooms onsite, known as Cedar, are available for clients to use where they can view or care for the deceased before they are prepared for composting.
Yarborough explained: “The serene space includes essential oils, hair brushes, candles, linens, and music, and staff are available for guidance. Some clients have compared it to a ‘spa for the dead’.”
Of course, human composting might to be for everyone. But there are some other interesting, alternative burial methods available like water cremation, that sees the body submerged in 160C alkaline water – which is in fact legal in the UK.
