Green Funerals
Make arrangements online, in-person, or on the phone at (206) 800-8733.
Welcome to Recompose
Our team will guide you and your loved ones from the time of death through the transformation into soil.
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Return to Nature
We’re specialists in soil transformation, an environmentally-friendly alternative to burial and cremation, sometimes referred to as human composting. Over an 8-12 week process, we transform a body into soil.
The soil returns nutrients from our bodies to the natural world, sequestering carbon, restoring forests, and revitalizing ecosystems.
Exceptional Services
Recompose is raising the standard for funeral care through integrity and quality. We’ve redesigned the end-of-life experience to inspire and comfort. Each detail in the design of our space, services, and ceremony offerings is a fresh, unique approach.
Give Back to the Planet
When you choose our sustainable alternative to burial or cremation, you create life-giving soil at the end of life.
- Donate any amount of soil to nonprofit organizations to restore and revitalize protected land in Washington.
- Keep any amount to share with friends and family for gardens, plants, or trees, or to scatter across favorite places.
Clear and Ethical Pricing
Recompose operates with clarity and strives to be straightforward so you know what to expect.
- Our staff do not work on commission and will never try to upsell you.
- See how our costs compare to other funeral options.
Care by Leading Experts
Originally conceived by founder Katrina Spade, human composting was developed by Recompose over years of rigorous research and design.
- Our process is tailored to each individual and managed by the leading experts in human composting.
- The cutting-edge design of our equipment ensures a premium, nutrient-rich soil ready to grow new life.
From Our Clients
Voted the best funeral home in the Pacific Northwest in 2023 and 2024, Recompose earned this recognition by thoughtfully guiding hundreds of families through the experience of losing a loved one.
Client Stories
Our clients weave their own family, community, and faith traditions to create new rituals. Their stories inspire us.
“Continue to honor Dad”
Jeff Mintle and his family loved to travel. They continue to honor him by spreading his soil in his favorite places around the world.
“From Earth to Earth”
Sonia Baker was passionate about the environment. She wanted to be returned to the earth beneath a Gravenstein apple tree because they make the best apple pies.
“Spread under the roots of so many trees”
Wayne Dodge was an avid gardener who loved Japanese maples. Friends and family used Wayne’s soil for their own maples and in special places throughout their gardens.
Obituaries
Read about some of the people Recompose is honored to have transformed into soil.
Grow New Life After Death
“The chance for me to give my body back to the earth that has sustained me for my whole life feels like the most sacred act you could possibly engage in at the end of your life.”
We’re Here To Help
We provide respectful, responsive care from the time of death through the body’s transformation into soil.
Get to Know Us
We challenge conventional practices to elevate the dignity and positive impact of death care.
Business for Good
Recompose is a public benefit corporation working for lasting social and environmental impact. We developed human composting over years of research and design and continue to legislative advocacy nationwide to expand access to human composting.
Schedule a Tour
Visit the world’s first human composting company in Seattle or on a virtual tour. You’ll see the vessels where soil transformation occurs and learn about our human composting model including the design, development, and legalization process.
Plan ahead with Precompose
Prearranging for human composting with Recompose is straightforward and saves money by securing today’s price for your future services. Our prepaid funeral plans start at $100/month and do not have interest or added fees.
Cultivate Change
Recompose and a groundswell of people are working to transform the funeral industry. Learn about legalization efforts and wins, and find ways to get involved to expand human composting.
FAQ
Below are some common questions we receive about our services, pricing, and the process.
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.
Explore More
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.
At Recompose, the human composting takes place in a device we call a vessel. It is a steel cylinder, 8 feet long and 4 feet tall. Each vessel rests inside of a hexagonal frame.
Each body is placed into the vessel on a bed of wood chips, alfalfa, and straw. Additional plant material is added as a blanket to cocoon the body within the vessel. The temperature inside the vessel rises over time as the microbes work, and is sustained over 131 degrees Fahrenheit for a minimum of 3 continuous days.
Over the next five to seven weeks, the body breaks down thanks to the natural action of aerobic microbes. Recompose staff monitor the temperature inside the vessel to determine when a rotation is needed to increase oxygenation and expose additional energy to the microbes. Once the microbes have finished their work, the soil is removed from the vessel and placed into a curing bin, where it is aerated for three to five weeks.
Below is a photo of a Recompose vessel and cradle.
Human composting is a more environmentally-friendly option than burial or cremation. This is because the process does not use fossil fuel like cremation, does not require the casket and cemetery resources of burial, and sequesters carbon as soil is created. 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.
To measure the environmental impact of human composting, expert Dr. Troy Hottle developed a scientific model to compare cremation, conventional burial, green burial, and human composting. The model showed that human composting and green burial perform far better than cremation or conventional burial at reducing carbon. The research showed that between .84 and 1.4 metric tons of carbon dioxide will be saved each time someone chooses human composting.
Soil Information
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.
The Recompose process creates approximately one cubic yard of soil—approximately 1,000 pounds. Soil tests indicate compost created by the Recompose process is appropriate for established shrubs, trees, house plants, and flower gardens; use on tender annuals should be avoided.
Analysis indicates compost that is good for use on plants. The pH range of Recompose compost is usually between 6.5 and 7, which is ideal for most plants. Electrical conductivity is moderate, indicating the presence of soluble (plant-available) ions. The nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium-sulfur content is balanced, providing good nutrient content with a good supply of macronutrients.
Respiration test results indicate Recompose compost is at “Very Stable” levels, indicating that most of the “fast pool” of sugars have been used up by microbes and nutrients are stabilized. Nitrate content is high, indicating aerobic status and advanced decomposition. Bioassay does show relative immaturity, so we recommend use as a mulch and at lower concentration around roots of young plants.
Recompose follows all compost-testing regulations put forth by the Washington State Department of Licensing and the Board of Health.
Recompose partners with conservation organizations, so you can choose to donate some, or all, of the soil to nourish and revitalize the land.
Through the Recompose Land Program, you have the opportunity to donate soil to help restore and revitalize land stewarded by nonprofit conservation organizations. Our Land Partners protect and regenerate ecosystems through conservation, rewilding, and other restoration practices.
Read our article How to Consider Your Soil Options for more information.
Planning & Pricing
Choosing our human composting services is possible in most places outside of Washington State. Most clients that come to us from another state work with a funeral home in their area to arrange for transport. This funeral home will pick up a body at the place of death and arrange for transport to Recompose.
When you contact a funeral home, we suggest starting the conversation by saying something like, “I am looking to have my loved one’s body transported to the Seattle area. I have chosen a funeral home called Recompose to handle their death care services. Can you help me make arrangements?”
Families can also transport their person to Recompose in their personal vehicle with the correct permits. If you are interested in this option, please contact us for guidance.
Our Services team is here to support you and can discuss options, find a transporting funeral home, and help arrange for transport. Please contact our staff at (206) 800-8733 or services@recompose.life.Our article, Arranging for Transportation, also has information to help you.
Please note: 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.
You can choose Recompose for human composting from most states. You can contact our staff at (206) 800-8733 or precompose@recompose.life and we can help you arrange for transport.
Most clients that come to us from another state work with a funeral home in their area to arrange for transport. This funeral home will pick up a body at the place of death and arrange for transport to Recompose. When you contact a funeral home, we suggest starting the conversation by saying something like, “I am looking to have my 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?”
In most instances, families can also transport their person to Recompose in their personal vehicle with the correct permits. If you are interested in this option, please contact us and we’re happy to help.
Please note: 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. If you have any questions or need help finding a transporting funeral home, Recompose staff can help you.
Our article, How to Arrange for Transport to Recompose, also has information to help you.
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.
Recompose’s price for human composting does not include a ceremony, flowers, newspaper obituaries, clergy honorariums, transportation of the body outside our service area, or additional transport for autopsies.
You can see a full list of ceremony offerings in our Ceremony Catalog as well as additional items in our General Price List. The GPL is a document the Federal Trade Commission’s Funeral Rule requires funeral homes to have available in the interest of protecting consumers.