Arranging Transportation to Recompose

About Transport

The Recompose price includes transport of your person’s body to Recompose Seattle from within our service area in Washington state. For an additional fee, we offer transport from other counties in Washington State. Current prices for each county are listed in our General Price List (GPL).

It is important to note that bodies that come to Recompose must not be embalmed. While most funeral homes are experienced with transporting bodies, they may not yet have heard of human composting or have experience with this kind of transport.

• Within Washington
  If your person is within Washington State, you will call Recompose and a member of our transport team will pick up the body and steward its safe delivery to Recompose.

• Outside Washington State
  If your person is outside of Washington State, you will need to make additional arrangements for the body to be transported to Recompose. You can work with a funeral home in your area, or you may transport the body yourself with the proper permits. Our staff is available to facilitate this process.

Working With Another Funeral Home

A funeral home can be a helpful partner in transporting your person’s body. While most funeral homes are experienced with transport, human composting is new for everyone including funeral homes and there will be a period of education that comes with it.

• When approaching a funeral home, you may want to start the conversation by saying something like, “I would like to have my person’s body transported to the Seattle area. I have chosen a funeral home called Recompose to handle my death care services. Can you help me make arrangements?” It can be helpful to suggest they think of Recompose like they would think of any other cemetery or mortuary that is accepting a body after transport.

• It may be helpful to look for a funeral home that accommodates sustainable funeral practices such as green burial or alkaline hydrolysis. It can also be helpful to look for a funeral home that works with a Jewish community, as some Jewish funeral practices prohibit embalming and they may be more familiar with preferences against embalming.

• Funeral homes are also welcome to contact Recompose directly if they have questions.

• Bodies that come to Recompose must not be embalmed. Some funeral homes and certain states have guidelines that direct bodies to be embalmed before they are transported. When a funeral home tells you embalming is “required,” that is most often their individual policy rather than an inflexible law. Regions with embalming guidelines are required to allow exceptions to these rules for religious or belief preferences. The Recompose staff can help you utilize this exception.

If you need help finding a funeral home willing to accommodate you or have any questions throughout this process, let us know and we can help research transport partners in your area.

Transport by Friends or Family  

In most states, it is legal to drive a family member’s body to Recompose yourself. Please note: airlines only allow transport of bodies via a licensed funeral home.

While it varies by state, typically the process includes:

• The people transporting the body will need to keep a death certificate and a burial transit permit with them for the entire journey—from the place of death to Recompose. We can help make sure you have the information they need.

• You will also need to arrange for special considerations like refrigeration of the body and, in some states, the rigid container required for body transport. It may be helpful to research the laws and guidelines in your state in advance. It can be challenging to find transparent and unbiased information about your death care rights.

• If you live in a state that that has guidelines around embalming before transport, the Recompose staff can help you secure an exception utilizing the religious or belief accommodations mentioned above.

We are available to help. Please contact our Services team any time with questions.