In a major move, New York Governor Kathy Hochul has approved legislation legalizing an eco-friendly burial method called natural organ reduction, or “human composting,”.
With the law, New York becomes the sixth state in the US to legalize the burial method.
Washington became the first state in 2019 to permit natural organ reduction, followed by Colorado, Oregon, Vermont, and California.
The process of natural organ reduction involves placing a corpse in a sealed container with organic materials like alfalfa, straw or sawdust.
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The container is attached to an HVAC system and the remains are left to decompose for 30 days. Then, the contents are filtered for inorganic material and bones are broken down and then placed back into the container for another 30 days, according to the report.
After the remains are broken down by microbes, the soil is returned to the family of the deceased, and they can use it to plant trees, flowers or vegetables.
When compared to traditional burial or cremation, the procedure can save a ton of carbon dioxide.
Story was adapted from Jerusalem Post.
