The Recompose staff at the Greenhouse. In keeping with social distancing, this image was created via digital composite.
1/6: The Recompose staff at the Greenhouse. In keeping with social distancing, this image was created via digital composite. 
An open Recompose vessel filled with plant material. The vessel is where the transformation into soil takes place.
2/6: An open Recompose vessel filled with plant material. The vessel is where the transformation into soil takes place. 
A dummy covered in plant material rests on a cradle in front of an open vessel.
3/6: A dummy covered in plant material rests on a cradle in front of an open vessel.
The Greenhouse's vessel array, which contains 10 vessels.
4/6: The Greenhouse's vessel array, which contains 10 vessels. Inside a vessel, a body transforms into soil in 30 days. 
Our vessel system was designed by founder and CEO Katrina Spade.
5/6: Our vessel system was designed by founder and CEO Katrina Spade. 
Services manager Morgan Yarborough organizes the body prep area.
6/6: Services manager Morgan Yarborough organizes the body prep area. The Recompose Greenhouse is also a licensed funeral home. 
Jan 2021

Welcome to the Recompose Greenhouse

Photos and details about our first location 

Recompose’s first location, the Greenhouse, opened in December 2020 in Kent, Washington. While we can’t offer tours at this time, the Greenhouse was featured in the Seattle Times in January 2021 and we’re proud to share photos and information about the space.

The Greenhouse contains ten Recompose vessels. These vessels are where the transformation from human to soil occurs. Each vessel is a steel cylinder, 8 feet long and 4 feet tall. The vessel rests inside of a hexagonal frame. When we designed the Recompose vessel, we thought a lot about durability, functionality, and also, a pleasing design.

All ten vessels together are called a vessel array. The vessels are constantly monitored by our technical interface and our staff. Both the vessels and the building contain sophisticated filtration systems that manage airflow and prevent odor.

Recompose calls the practice of placing a body into a vessel the “laying‑in.” We invite families to join us for the laying-in via streaming video if they choose. At future locations, we hope to be able to have families join for their person’s laying-in in person.

We gave our first location its name because a greenhouse is where seeds germinate and where plants get their start. At the Recompose Greenhouse, we are learning more about how best to carry out human composting before propagating our systems to other locations and, eventually, around the world.

Please note the Greenhouse is not open to the public. If you are a transferring funeral home that needs the address, please get in touch.

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About Recompose

Recompose is a licensed, full-service, green funeral home in Seattle offering human composting. As the first human composting company in the world, we are a trusted leader in ecological death care. We are Seattle’s only human composting provider and serve clients across the U.S.

Recompose Seattle
4 S. Idaho St, Seattle, WA 98134
Open by appointment

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Voted Best Funeral Home in Seattle Times’ Best in the PNW Contest 2023

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Land Acknowledgement
Recompose acknowledges we make our lives and livelihoods on the lands of the Coast Salish People, specifically the Duwamish People. We honor with gratitude the Duwamish People past and present, the land itself, and the Duwamish Tribe. Colonization is an active, persistent process. Indigenous communities continue to be resilient in protecting their ecological and cultural lifeways and deathways despite ongoing oppression. Recompose respects, shares, and supports this commitment to climate healing and environmental justice. Join Recompose in contributing to Real Rent Duwamish.