In 2019, Recompose led the passage of Senate Bill 5001. Washington State to become the first state to legalize human composting.
Legalization Background
Recompose founder Katrina Spade began the legalization process in 2017 by meeting with her local representative, Washington State Senator Jamie Pedersen, for coffee in their shared Capitol Hill neighborhood, and he agreed to sponsor the bill.
Two years later, SB5001 passed the House by a vote of 80 to 16, and in the Senate by a vote of 38 to 11. On May 21, 2019, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee signed the bill into law. The law went into effect on May 7, 2020.
We are grateful for everyone who testified in support of SB5001. Special thanks to Recompose policy strategist Vicki Christophersen, the bill’s co-sponsors, and everyone who helped bring SB5001 into law.
Join the Movement
We’re working to legalize human composting in other states and increase access to individuals everywhere. We can’t do this work without the support of engaged community members like you.
Here are a few ways to get involved.
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Set up a monthly plan to pay for your future human composting with Recompose
Human Composting FAQs
How it Works
Human composting is the transformation of a human body into soil. Recompose places each body into a stainless steel vessel along with wood chips, alfalfa, and straw. Microbes that naturally occur on the plant material and on and in our bodies power the transformation into soil.
Over the next five to seven weeks, the body inside the vessel breaks down thanks to the natural action of the microbes. The soil is then removed from the vessel, screened for non-organic items such as hip replacements or stents, and allowed to cure for an additional three to five weeks.
Once the process is complete, the soil can be used on trees and plants, or donated to conservation efforts. Each body creates about one cubic yard of soil.
Watch Recompose Founder and CEO, Katrina Spade, describe how human composting works during her 2023 talk at the End Well Conference.
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Learn more about the steps involved in the human composting process.
Bones and teeth do not fully break down in the human composting process due to their mineral composition. Similar to other forms of death care, equipment is needed to reduce the bones.
Microbes do the primary work of human composting. By controlling the ratio of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and moisture, human composting creates the perfect environment for microbes and beneficial bacteria to thrive. To create that environment, Recompose uses a mixture of plant materials carefully calibrated and tailored to each body.
Recompose staff rotate each vessel at several points during the process to ensure thorough aeration and exposure to resources for the microbes.
Bones are reduced to a fine powder by equipment after the soil is removed from the Recompose vessel. Staff also screen for non-organics such as implants, which are recycled whenever possible. The reduced bone is added back to the compost to help balance the compost nutrients and make minerals available to plants. It continues to break down and return to the environment over time.
Recompose follows all compost-testing regulations put forth by the Washington State Department of Licensing and the Board of Health. The pH range of Recompose compost is usually between 6.5 and 7, which is ideal for most plants.
The entire human composting process generally takes between eight to twelve weeks. Our staff communicate timing and key moments throughout the process. Each body spends about five to seven weeks in a Recompose vessel, then the soil is transferred to an aerated bin to cure for an additional three to five weeks.
Recompose follows all compost-testing regulations put forth by the Washington State Department of Licensing and the Board of Health. The pH range of Recompose compost is usually between 6.5 and 7, which is ideal for most plants.
Watch Recompose Founder and CEO, Katrina Spade, describe timing in the human composting process during her 2023 talk at the End Well Conference.
Explore More
Learn more about the steps involved in the human composting process.
Human composting saves carbon through a combination of factors. The process uses 87% less energy than cremation, which typically uses fossil fuel to create sustained heat of over 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit for 3 to 4 hours.
No casket or coffin is used during human composting, nor is a concrete grave liner required – all items that add to the carbon footprint of a death.
When human composting transforms the organic material of our bodies, the carbon is captured, or sequestered, in the soil created. Rather than being released as carbon dioxide gas through exhaust during a cremation or as a hydrocarbon gas like methane, the carbon contained in each body returns to the earth. As the nutrients in the compost are used over time by the plants in contact with it, the impact of a person’s choice for human composting continues to expand exponentially.
The Recompose human composting process creates approximately one cubic yard of soil per body which is roughly 3 x 3 x 3 feet. This amount fills the bed of most pickup trucks and weighs about 1,000 pounds. The process begins with three cubic yards of plant material.
Families can take some or all of the soil home once the process is complete, and donate what does not go home to conservation efforts. Learn more about how to consider your soil options.
Planning for Human Composting
Recompose aims to keep our costs comparable to other death care options. Our $7,000 includes empathetic care and guidance from our Services team from the time of death through transformation into soil 8 to 12 weeks later.
According to a 2023 study conducted by the National Funeral Directors Association, the median cost for a funeral with a coffin and burial is $8,300 (not including the burial plot itself, which can range from the hundreds to the tens of thousands) and the median cost for cremation is $6,280.
We strive to be straightforward about our pricing and services so you are informed and know what to expect. Recompose operates with integrity and clarity and will never try to upsell you. Learn more about our services and find a list of current pricing for all services in our General Price List.
We are committed to bringing ecological death care to as many people as possible. This includes providing our services at a subsidized rate to individuals who could not otherwise afford to pay our full price through our Community Fund.
Yes, you can donate your organs and choose human composting.
Organs will be removed by medical professionals at the time of death. Recompose, or the local funeral home you’re working with in your state, will coordinate transportation back to the funeral home with the organ donation company or medical facility.
Organ donation is different from donating a body to medical science, where the body is embalmed and therefore cannot undergo human composting. Organ donation can only occur if you die in a hospital because they need specific equipment to keep the organs viable until the donation company arrives. Organ donation companies do not embalm bodies, and the organ donation process is typically completed within a couple of days.
Willed body programs, also called full body donation, embalm bodies and typically keep them for 1-2 years in universities and other medical institutions where medical professionals and students study them. Embalmed bodies cannot undergo human composting.
The soil created by human composting is biologically valuable material that can be used to nourish trees and plants. It can be used in yards, flower gardens, trees, house plants, and in natural environments. Its pH of 6.5 – 7 is ideal for most plants. It has a balanced nutrient content with a good supply of macronutrients.
Recompose customers have used their person’s soil to create groves of trees, nourish rose gardens tended by their person while they were alive, or scattered in a favorite natural area.
In Washington State, the law for scattering human composting soil is the same for cremated remains—you must have permission of the landowner. It is legal to scatter in navigable waterways.
If you have any questions about what you can do with your person’s soil, our staff is here to help.