Dust Thou Art To Compost Thou Returnest

In America, the after-death operations are mainly split into burial or cremation. However, Washington, the first state to allow human remains to be turned into soil above ground will now be the first to offer the third alternative i.e. composting.

Human composting or recomposition is enviroment friendly than various other traditional burials and cremation. It may dominantly disrupt America's $20bn funeral industry over the decades to follow.

The developer of this method, Katrina Spade, is prepping to open the first of its venue offering 'natural organic reduction' services in Seattle the forthcoming year.

Spade last week said: 'The option might not be for everyone but we seek to offer more choices whilst hopefully benefitting the planet.'

With an ageing population companioned with shortage of space, how could bodies be disposed in a way that is a greener-after-life alternative? Many US cities do not permit the allotment of land for new cemeteries as it is unsustainable use of land. With questtions like these put to rest, her composting process as already been successfully tried and tested at Washington State University. Once the artificial hips, limbs and pacemakers are removed everything else comprising the bones and teeth can be recomposed. Corpses held in reusable steel vesels along with mixtures of woodchips straw and alfalfa, the containers are then rotated to maximise oxygen inflow so as to facilitate microbes to break down the body.

After 30 days, the body is decomposed, relatively much quicker. The relatives can then use the soil to plant a tree or grow vegetable in their backyard or any other piece of land they pick. As per estimations, recompose, can cut down the production of tonnes of carbon that is otherwise released during cremation. The cost of $5000 is lesser than $7000 for a traditional burial or $1000 for cremation.

The founder believes that no one has the patent on how one must grieve, or act at a funeral or how one must essentially feel, hence one cookie-cutter service fo all is too unlikely a choice. This recomposting service promises a sustainable contribution even after death for environment-lover bastion.