The State of New York has just authorized the composting of human remains.
It thus becomes the sixth territory of the United States to authorize this practice, an alternative to burial and cremation, reports the BBC, relayed by
Capital
.
Washington State led the way in 2019, followed by Colorado, Oregon, Vermont and California.
Kathy Hochul, Governor of New York State, accepted human composting, also called natural organic reduction, on December 31.
A rare alternative in Europe
To carry out composting in the event of death, the body of the deceased is placed in a container with wood shavings and alfalfa, so that the microbes participate in the decomposition.
A month's time and a heating period to prevent the spread of disease, and the remains can then be given to relatives, who can use them as compost.
The cost of this practice is not much different from the average price of a conventional funeral.
It indeed requires 7,000 dollars in the United States (6,500 euros approximately), a cost equivalent to a burial or a cremation, according to the National Funeral Directors Association.
In Europe, the practice is legal in Sweden.
This relatively new method could solve the lack of space in cemeteries and the pollution linked to burials and cremations.
Some, however, oppose it, like the Catholic bishops of the State of New York.
For them, natural organic reduction would amount to treating humans like household waste.
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