Our Services

Based in Seattle, Washington, Recompose provides human composting services in all 50 states.

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Immediate Need

If a death has occurred or is expected soon, we're here to support you. Call us anytime at (206) 800-8733.

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Imminent Pathway

Extended support as you navigate a terminal diagnosis, hospice, or the end of life.

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Plan Ahead

Set up your future human composting with our prepaid funeral plan, Precompose. It's simple, flexible, and risk-free.

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Ceremony Offerings

Plan a custom ceremony in one of our thoughtfully curated spaces. Each experience can be tailored to fit your needs and traditions.

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Human Composting in Vermont

Our human composting service provides communities in Vermont, including Burlington, Montpelier, and Rutland, an opportunity to return their loved ones to nature. This sustainable alternative to burial or cremation transforms the body into life-giving soil after death.

Recompose pioneered human composting after years of dedicated research and innovation. We would be honored to support you and your family through the soil transformation process.

Recompose has Appeared In

How to Receive Human Composting
Services in Vermont

No human composting facilities exist in Vermont. However, Recompose offers services to residents of Vermont by working with a funeral home in your area to provide transportation of your loved one to Seattle.

Once soil transformation is complete, you can choose from several options for how to use the soil, including having it returned to you in Vermont. You also have the opportunity to donate all or part of the soil to support restoration projects on protected lands cared for by conservation organizations.

Meet Recompose

A trusted leader in green funerals

Our Story

In 2011, Katrina Spade set out to develop a more sustainable funeral option. By 2017, Katrina had invented human composting, led Washington State to legalize it, and started Recompose. Today, Recompose provides funeral services to clients in all 50 states.

Our Services

Recompose is a green funeral home specializing in soil transformation. With decades of experience, our staff are the leading experts in human composting. We are proud to offer you full support and help during this time of transition.

Prearranging for human composting with Recompose is straightforward and saves your family from worrying about finances for your future services. Our prepaid funeral plans start at $100/month and do not require a medical exam.

For those expected to pass within the next six months, our team is available to guide you. We will ensure your future death care is arranged so you are ready when the time comes.

If a death has occurred or is near, we are here for you 24 hours a day. We’re available to assist with arrangements online or on the phone at (206)-800-8733

Best funeral home in the PNW
2023, 2024, & 2025

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5.0
120 Client Reviews

Thoughtfully cared for over
500 families

How it Works

Our team offers responsive, thoughtful care from the time of death
through the transformation into soil

funeral home staff smiling

STEP 1

Make Arrangements

Whether a death has occurred or is near, start making arrangements online or on the phone at (425) 357-2503. We are available any time, day or night.

funeral home staff smiling

STEP 2

Schedule Transportation

When you are ready, we’ll arrange safe transport of your loved one into our care with a funeral home in Vermont.

hexagonal vessels at a human composting facility

STEP 3

Soil Transformation Begins

Over an 8 to 12 week process, your loved one will transform into life-giving soil. Our funeral directors will keep you informed throughout the process.

hands holding container overflowing with soil

STEP 4

Receive Your Loved One’s Soil

Soil can be used for gardens, trees, or to scatter across favorite places. You may also donate any amount to support conservation projects on protected lands stewarded by conservation organizations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Learn more below about the Recompose approach and process

How does human composting work?

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.

Learn more about the steps involved in the human composting process.

Can I have a funeral service with Recompose?

Yes, Recompose offers several options for funeral services. Our Seattle location has two thoughtfully curated spaces for friends and family to gather for in-person and virtual ceremonies. Our team of licensed funeral directors helps with event planning, ensures events run smoothly, and can lead ceremonies if desired. Please see our Ceremony Catalog for more information.

Note: Ceremony offerings are optional and not included in the price of human composting.

Should I have a ceremony before or after the human composting process?

Often, clients choose to have both—a service shortly after the death, before the process has begun, and then a second one after once the soil is returned. Recompose clients have shared that they’ve held soil ceremonies to plant trees, scatter the soil on a hike, or shared the soil for friends and family to take home to their own gardens.

Because our process is tailored to each individual, the timeline for each client is unique. Due to the variation in the timeline, we recommend waiting until the soil is returned to you before scheduling time-sensitive ceremonies, activities, or travel.

How much does it cost to send my person to your facility in Seattle?

The cost for transport will vary and depend on the funeral home you work with to send your person to us. On average, the cost for transport services can range from $3,500-$5,000. Our team can assist you in finding a local funeral home and obtaining a quote for you.

How can human composting soil be used?

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.

How is donated soil used by conservation organizations?

Many Recompose clients choose to donate some soil to the Land Program and take a portion to share with friends and family to use on gardens, on house plants, and scatter across favorite places.

Through the Recompose Land Program, we partner with nonprofit organizations to protect and regenerate ecosystems through conservation, rewilding, and other restoration practices. These Land Partners receive soil donated from Recompose clients to use in projects that benefit the land they steward.

Our Land Partners focus on ecologically significant areas across diverse, protected landscapes like forests, prairie grasslands, and wetland areas. Some of the many species that are supported through soil donation include:

  • Elk
  • Beaver
  • River otter
  • Black-tailed deer
  • Juvenile salmonids

Recompose is proud to support this work to allow nature to flourish again. 

Clients who choose to donate soil through the Land Program have shared that they connect with the concept of returning to the natural environment as a whole rather than to a single location—instead of becoming a tree, they become part of the forest.

Recompose and our Land Partners share a common interest in connecting the human experience with the natural environment, and recognize the use of soil from human composting as a way to strengthen this connection.

aerial view of a land preserve
An aerial view of a Recompose Land Partner’s preserve.
Do you fulfill religious-based needs and requests?

Recompose values diversity in cultural and faith traditions and will work with you to accommodate and celebrate your customs. Contact the Services team at (206) 800-8733 or services@recompose.life.

Can families request whole bones from their person?

Washington State regulates how bones are processed during the composting cycle, with some special exceptions. Recompose focuses on creating the best quality of compost and it is not our policy to return whole, unprocessed bones. However, we recognize some cultural and religious practices may have special requests.

If you have questions or would like to learn more, please contact the Services team at at (206) 800-8733 or services@recompose.life.

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Give Back to the Earth

Funeral practices have a profound impact on the environment.

pine cone

Cremation contributes to climate change by burning fossil fuels and emitting carbon dioxide and toxic particulates into the air.

hellebore

Burial pollutes soil and consumes valuable urban land. Caskets use four million acres of forest every year in the U.S.

Soil

Human composting transforms the body into life-giving soil, saving one metric ton of carbon pollution at the end of life.

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From Our Clients

Voted the best funeral home in the Pacific Northwest for the last three years, Recompose earned this recognition by attentively caring for hundreds of families.

Recompose deeply appreciates the emotional meaning of the service they are providing. Everything they do speaks directly to that meaning. From the serene “spa like” experience, to the thoughtfully designed containers, the message is always that there is beauty even in the unthinkable. It is a process that has provided some comfort to my family while helping us grieve.

Paul S

New York, New York

Recompose is such a beautiful place to lay a loved one to rest. The thoughtful design is evocative of being in a forest and serves as a gentle, lovely reminder of our connection to the natural world. And I cannot say enough about the kindness, knowledge, and generosity of the staff. Highly recommend.

Julie B

Portland, Oregon

Everything was handled professionally and I was educated in the process. The laying-in ceremony was beautifully done and my family is forever grateful for Recompose. I really can’t say enough about how well Morgan treated me and my family. Just amazing!

Saraphina B

Renton, Washington

Thank you to the whole team from start to end of this process. It’s been such a warm and supportive experience in a world that’s been so difficult to navigate and unfamiliar to me. I can’t express my gratitude enough to the whole Recompose team for taking care of not only Justin, but also me. It meant a lot.

Una H

Seattle, Washington

I just wanted to say thank you for creating such a beautiful ceremony to send off my mom yesterday. It was moving, quiet, and meaningful. Members of the family called me after to say that the experience was healing for them in ways they had not expected.

Michelle M

Los Angeles, California

My mother chose composting as a way to give back to the earth. Recompose was amazing through all of it. Our family had a small viewing and they did an amazing job. Elaine was our guide through the process. She explained what to expect and was incredibly gracious and respectful. I couldn't have asked for anything better. Thank you.

Synneva R

Issaquah, Washington

It's obvious that they are sincere in their mission to provide quality, ecological, compassionate care at the end of life. The space is warm and inviting. It's evident that the care and various possibilities are catered to the families' needs. An exceptional funeral home changing the death care landscape with gentle kindness.

Candace P

Seattle, Washington

The facility is so comforting and welcoming, you'd think it was a spa. Everything about Recompose is so well-thought, and I really appreciate the effort that the team has put into making the process of human composting more accessible, beautiful, and exciting.

Noah S

Seattle, Washington

Recompose is stunningly gorgeous. It’s a beautiful clean space, a careful and tender atmosphere, and luscious green imagery all around. The Gathering Space has tall ceilings and the illusion of sunbeams coming through the trees. Who knew it was possible to create such a sacred space in the middle of the industrial area of Seattle?

Nika N

Puyallup, Washington

We had no idea the profound significance receiving the soil of our son for our personal use would have. We used it to plant a dogwood tree in our yard that can be seen from his childhood bedroom. Our yard has become a spiritual place where we go to talk to our son while he, in turn, nourishes his dogwood tree. Thank you for this beautiful gift.

Karen Y

Seattle, Washington

The facility was so beautiful and peaceful, the decor was very thoughtful and invoked a strong sense of nature and elegance. The staff were incredibly kind and knowledgeable about the process. We left feeling so warm and hopeful for the future of natural death care. This really does feel like a crucial step into an eco-friendly future.

Jay C

Kirkland, Washington

Recompose has created a thoughtful, warm, and inviting place. A healthy and meaningful connection that reframes our relationship to nature in our last act and supports a critical cultural shift.

Deb G

Seattle, Washington

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The design of our space and services offers a new kind of funeral home

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Pricing

Simple, transparent pricing. No hidden fees.

$7,000
Recompose Human Composting
This Price Includes:
Support in transportation planning
Funeral director services
Sheltering of the body
Filing of paperwork
Transformation into soil
Soil packaged for shipment
Soil donation to nonprofit conservation organizations
photo of trail in woods