Human composting, known in statutes as natural organic reduction, is a legal body disposition method in at least 14 states that converts a body into roughly one cubic yard of nutrient-rich soil inside a sealed vessel over about 60 days. A full service typically costs between $5,000 and $7,000. It sits between cremation and traditional burial in price, and well below burial once a casket, vault, and cemetery plot are factored in.
Where Human Composting Is Legal
Washington was first, authorizing the practice in 2019.1Washington State Legislature. SB 5001 – 2019-20 – Concerning Human Remains2Colorado General Assembly. SB21-006 Human Remains Natural Reduction Soil3Oregon State Legislature. HB 2574 – Relating to Disposition of Dead Bodies4Vermont General Assembly. Bill Status H.244 (Act 169) California passed its law in September 2022, but licensing requirements for reduction facilities do not become operative until January 1, 2027, so services are not yet available there.5California Legislative Information. AB 351 – Disposition of Human Remains New York enacted its framework in late 2022.6New York State Senate. New York State Senate Bill 2021-S5535
The pace accelerated sharply in 2024. A Minnesota legislative study documented that the number of states with human composting laws doubled from six to twelve by mid-2024, with Arizona, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, and Nevada all enacting legislation during that period.7Minnesota Legislature. Green Burial and Natural Organic Reduction Study New Jersey and Georgia have since joined, bringing the total to at least 14. Arizona took a slightly different path, broadening its statutory definition of cremation to include conversion of human remains to soil through natural organic reduction.8Arizona Legislature. HB 2081 – 562R – House Bill Summary Additional state legislatures are reviewing bills, and the count is likely to keep growing.
If you live in a state without a law, you may still be able to use the service. Several providers accept out-of-state transfers, handling transportation from the place of death to a licensed facility in a state where the process is legal. Expect the transportation to add meaningfully to the overall cost.
What It Costs
A full service generally runs between $5,000 and $7,000. The price usually covers transportation of the body, the reduction process itself, and return of the finished soil to the family. Recompose, the Seattle-based company that helped launch the industry, charges around $7,000 for an all-inclusive package. Return Home and Earth Funeral price their services between roughly $5,000 and $6,000.
For comparison, direct cremation typically runs $1,000 to $3,000. Traditional burial, with casket, vault, and plot, usually costs considerably more than human composting. Separate costs to budget for include a memorial service, death certificates, and any local permit fees. Ask any provider for a General Price List before committing.
How the Process Works
Facility workers place the body inside a large, enclosed vessel, typically a steel cylinder, and surround it with a carefully proportioned mixture of wood chips, alfalfa, and straw. These carbon-rich and nitrogen-rich materials fuel the microbial communities that drive decomposition. The vessel is sealed to maintain controlled oxygen, moisture, and temperature.
Inside, thermophilic bacteria generate heat as they break down organic material. Washington’s regulations require the internal temperature to reach at least 131 degrees Fahrenheit and sustain that level for 72 consecutive hours, a threshold designed to destroy pathogens.9Washington State Legislature. WAC 308-47-065 Sensors monitor conditions throughout, and periodic rotation of the vessel aerates the mixture and promotes even decomposition.
The active phase lasts about 30 days, followed by a curing period of roughly 30 days, for a total of around 60 days. Some providers report timelines of eight to 12 weeks depending on their specific methods. Once the microbes have finished, technicians screen the material to remove any non-organic items such as dental hardware or joint replacements. The result is approximately one cubic yard of soil, roughly enough to fill a pickup truck bed.10Washington State Legislature. Senate Bill Report ESSB 5001
Who Can and Can’t Be Composted
Not every body qualifies. States with human composting laws prohibit facilities from accepting remains that pose a biological or radiological safety risk. New York’s regulations offer the most detailed published exclusion list, and the restrictions are broadly similar across jurisdictions.11New York Department of State. 19 NYCRR Part 204 Natural Organic Reduction Regulations A facility will typically reject:
- Embalmed remains. The formaldehyde and other chemicals interfere with microbial activity and can contaminate the resulting soil.
- Bodies of people who died of prion diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob. The proteins involved survive the temperatures reached inside the vessel.
- Bodies of people with active tuberculosis or Ebola, because of containment risks the composting process cannot eliminate.
- Remains containing radioactive implants, battery packs, or power cells. Devices must usually be removed first; some jurisdictions allow the process to proceed 30 days after removal of a radioactive implant.
- Deaths from a radiological incident, which require a written release from the relevant health department before composting can proceed.
If you’re unsure whether a loved one qualifies, ask the provider. They will review the death certificate and medical history before accepting the remains.
Paperwork Required Before the Process Starts
The central document is the Authorization for Final Disposition, signed by the person who holds the legal right to control the remains. Every state with a human composting law sets a priority hierarchy for who that person is. Colorado’s statute is representative: the right passes first to the decedent (through a written declaration made while alive), then to an appointed personal representative, then to the surviving spouse, then to adult children by majority vote, then to parents, siblings, and finally to any person willing to accept financial responsibility.12Justia. Colorado Code 15-19-106 – Right of Final Disposition No licensed facility will start work without a verified signature from the correct person.
A burial or transit permit from the local registrar is also required, authorizing the facility to take custody of the body. Permit fees vary and generally run between nothing and $100. The facility or a licensed funeral director typically handles this paperwork along with the signed death certificate from the attending physician, medical examiner, or coroner.
If you want to make sure your own remains go to human composting, the strongest step is a written disposition directive signed while you are alive. In most state hierarchies, your own written instruction overrides family preference.
What Happens to the Soil
A cubic yard is a lot more material than families expect, especially those accustomed to the small container cremated ashes come in. Most providers deliver the soil in several large containers.
Legal classification matters here. In most jurisdictions, the finished soil is still considered human remains. It cannot be sold, and most states prohibit using it to grow food for human consumption. Private property is the simplest destination. Families often use it in gardens for ornamental plants and trees. Spreading on public land usually requires a permit from the land management agency, and rules restrict dispersal near public water supplies and protected ecosystems. Several providers partner with conservation land trusts and memorial forests that accept donated soil for ecological restoration work, which is a practical option for families without land of their own.
Environmental Trade-Offs
The environmental case is a major reason people choose human composting. Conventional cremation burns natural gas at roughly 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit for several hours. Traditional burial involves embalming chemicals, hardwood or metal caskets, and concrete vaults, and cemeteries consume significant acreage. Human composting avoids all of that and returns the body directly to the soil cycle.
The carbon math is less tidy. Recompose has claimed each body composted saves roughly one metric ton of carbon dioxide compared to cremation or conventional burial. Independent researchers have questioned that figure, noting that the composting process itself releases greenhouse gases including methane and nitrous oxide. The net benefit likely depends on how the finished soil is used, whether it displaces synthetic fertilizer, and how far the body was transported to reach the facility.