Plan Ahead with Recompose

Transportation arrangements to Recompose are dependent on location.

Within Our Service Area

Once your family notifies us of your death, Recompose will arrange transportation from the place of death into our care. Transportation to Recompose is complimentary from anywhere within our service area, which currently includes all of Washington State and the Portland metro area.

Outside Our Service Area

Many Recompose clients come to us from out of state, and our team has extensive experience guiding clients through the process. We coordinate transportation with our trusted partners or a local funeral home of your choosing to ensure safe and seamless care. Our transportation partners or your selected funeral home will arrange for pickup at the place of death and ensure safe transfer to Recompose.

The cost of transportation to Recompose from outside our service area is determined and billed by our transportation partners or the local funeral home you choose to work with. Please contact our team for transportation cost estimates at precompose@recompose.life or (425) 491-1756.

Many Recompose clients come to us from out of state, and our team has extensive experience guiding families through the process. We will coordinate with our transportation partners or a local funeral home of your choosing to ensure your person is safely brought into our care.

Learn more about transportation to Recompose

Yes. We offer both virtual tours and in-person guided, small group tours led by Recompose staff. Learn more and sign up for a tour.

See photos and learn more about our Seattle location.

Recompose was founded to transform the funeral industry and reimagine the end-of-life experience. Our founder and CEO, Katrina Spade, recognized a need and spent a decade researching and designing an innovative, beautiful solution. After years of collaboration and grassroots legislative work, Recompose became the world’s first human composting company in 2017, offering a state-of-the-art facility and a fresh approach to death care. 

At the heart of our work is a focus on education and exceptional, personalized service. We meet each client where they are, without pressure, and with deep respect for their needs, values, and choices.

Our commitment to you

Unparalleled Services

Your loved one’s soil transformation will be carried out by the world’s leading experts. As the pioneer of human composting, Recompose sets the global standard, ensuring nutrient-rich soil of the highest quality for you to use or donate to grow new life.

Intentional Care

You’ll receive an uncompromising level of personalized support. Our team draws upon years of expertise to inform and guide you, without the use of AI or chatbots. Every interaction is rooted in compassion, respect, and a genuine commitment to guide you through the experience with empathy.

Transformative Experiences

Our spaces, services, and ceremonies are designed to help you foster deeper connections—to nature, to others, and to the cycle of life and death. Whether or not you hold a ceremony with us, we’re here to support you in making decisions that reflect your values and honor your loved one.

Upfront, Honest Pricing

Our pricing is transparent and easy to understand, with no hidden fees. We do not work on commission and we never upsell. 

Business for Good

Recompose is registered as a Public Benefit Corporation, committed to a legal and ethical framework that balances shareholder interests with the well-being of people and the planet. Every decision we make is guided by sustainability, community, and ethical death care practices—not just the bottom line. Read our company values here.

Environmental Stewardship

Sustainability is at the core of our operations. From the design of our durable stainless steel composting vessels, built in the U.S. to last up to 70 years, to the careful selection of conservation organizations for soil donation, we prioritize long-term impact and doing the most good for the earth.

The Recompose Difference

In this short video, hear past and present clients reflect on their experience with Recompose.

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.

Explore More

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

No. There can be a significant difference in the quality of soil produced from human composting. Soil quality directly impacts its ability to support healthy plant growth and overall soil health. Factors such as nutrient availability, pH balance, and microbial stability all contribute to its effectiveness.

Recompose is proud to pioneer this field and lead the way in producing high-quality, nutrient-rich soil. In 2015, Recompose founder, Katrina Spade, worked with Western Carolina University Professor Cheryl Johnston to test the human composting concept and completed the process on a human body for the first time. In 2018, we partnered with Washington State University’s Soil Science Department to ensure our process is safe and effective (see the research overview here). 

Since then, we’ve spent countless hours perfecting our system and our carefully calibrated recipe of plant materials tailored to each individual to ensure the process yields exceptional results. Every step of the Recompose process is carefully managed and monitored to produce a balanced, stable, and plant-ready soil.

Key benefits of our soil include

• Ideal pH between 6.5 and 7—perfect for most plants
• Balanced macronutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur) to support healthy growth
• Moderate electrical conductivity, indicating a steady presence of plant-available nutrients
• High nitrate levels and a “Very Stable” microbial respiration rate, signaling advanced decomposition and soil maturity
• Comprehensive testing in compliance with Washington State regulations ensures safety and consistency

Recompose has spent countless hours perfecting our system and our carefully calibrated recipe of plant materials tailored to each individual to ensure the process yields exceptional results.

In 2011, Recompose Founder & CEO, Katrina Spade, started thinking about the environmental impact of conventional burial and cremation during her Master of Architecture program at University of Massachusetts Amherst.

In 2012, during her second year of grad school, Katrina built a compost heating system with friends Garth and Jesse, demonstrating the incredible power of microbes in what could be considered a prototype of a prototype.

In 2014, Katrina founded the nonprofit Urban Death Project. Experts in soil science, engineering, and project management helped develop the initial human composting system.

In 2015, Katrina worked with Western Carolina University Professor Cheryl Johnston to test the human composting concept with the Department of Forensic Anthropology. Through WCU’s Forensic Osteology Research Station, Dr. Johnston and Katrina completed the process on a human body for the first time.

In 2018, Dr. Lynne Carpenter-Boggs of Washington State University joined forces with Katrina to complete a study with six donor bodies. The study successfully proved the process eliminates pathogens and heavy metals to well under EPA-recommended levels.

Recompose can ship soil to most locations in the U.S. However, due to the variety of regulations involved, Recompose does not ship soil internationally.

Recompose packages soil in paper bags that hold about 12 gallons each. These sealed bags are similar to the size of the compost or potting soil bags you find at the garden store. On average, each person produces between 25-40 bags of soil, weighing about 20 pounds each. Any amount of soil can be ordered in our standard packaging, which is included in our price.

Note: the cost of shipping soil is not included. Shipping costs vary by package quantity, dimensions, and weight.

Our article How to Consider Your Soil Options is a useful resource when deciding how much soil to pick up, ship, or donate. Our Services Team is available to discuss your options. Please contact us at services@recompose.life or by calling (206) 800-8733.

Once the transformation is complete, similar to ashes from a cremation, the soil can be used however your loved ones choose—to enrich a garden, plant a tree, or spread across multiple locations. You also have the opportunity to donate your soil to nonprofit conservation organizations through the Recompose Land Program.

Learn more about how to consider your soil options here.

The cost of your Precompose plan depends on the payment option you choose and any additional services you decide to include.

The Recompose human composting service costs $7,000 and includes:

• Your transformation into soil
• Complimentary transportation from within Washington state and the Portland metro area
• Funeral director services
• Filing of paperwork
• An obituary on the Recompose website
• Soil packaged for pickup or shipment
• The opportunity to donate soil to conservation organizations

You may also choose to prepay for additional services, such as transportation from outside our service area or ceremonies, and include those costs in your Precompose plan.

When you enroll in Precompose, your price is locked in. This means you’re guaranteed the cost of Recompose’s human composting services at the time of purchase—as long as you continue making payments consistently until your death—regardless of any future price increases.

Complimentary transportation of the body to Recompose is included from anywhere within our service area, which covers all of Washington State and the Portland metro area.

You may cancel your plan or transfer your policy to another funeral home at any time. If you cancel within 30 days of signing up, you will receive a full refund.

After 30 days, you can stop payments whenever you choose but your insurance coverage will end. In this case, the money you have already paid will remain available and will be applied toward your future services. At the time of death, you would be responsible for the remaining balance based on the current price of the service. For example, if you had paid $3,000 toward a $7,000 plan and the price later increased to $9,000, your remaining balance would be $6,000.

If your contract is revocable (most are), you may also request your cash surrender value. This is equal to the total premiums you’ve paid plus any growth, minus applicable taxes and fees. The exact amount varies by individual and can be confirmed by speaking with a Recompose licensed agent.

Yes. You can purchase a plan for someone else if you have power of attorney or an insurable interest in that person. An insurable interest is a close family relationship, such as  a spouse, parent, or child. Certain business relationships may also be considered insurable interest.

To get started, please contact our Client Support team at (206) 800-8733 or precompose@recompose.life.

Recompose aims to keep our costs comparable to other death care options. Our $7,000 price 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.