Human composting burials become legal in California 

Californians can now choose to have their remains composted starting in 2027. California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill on Sunday allowing natural organic reductions (NOR), known as human compost burials, in the state starting in 2027.

Assembly Bill 351, introduced by Assembly member Cristina Garcia, states that allowing human remains to decompose in the soil is an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional burial methods. 

“With climate change and sea-level rise as very real threats to our environment,” Garcia said in a statement in June, “[NOR] is an alternative method of final disposition that won’t contribute emissions into our atmosphere.”

NOR involves placing the body inside an 8-foot steel box surrounded by biodegradable materials, such as woodchips. The box is aerated to allow microbes and bacteria to grow, thereby decomposing the body into the soil in about 30 to 60 days, according to The New York Post. 

“Natural organic reduction is safe, sustainable, and informed by nature. This process would provide Californians an option that offers significant savings in carbon emissions and land usage over conventional burial or cremation,” said Katrina Space, founder of Recompose, a funeral home in Washington specializing in human composting 

Proponents of NOR also claim that it is a more economically friendly alternative than other burial methods. While a traditional burial can cost around $7,848, NOR costs between $4,000 and $5,000, according to US Funerals Online. 

Similar to the cremated remains, once the process is completed, families can keep the soil and either plant trees or flowers with it or scatter it in the ocean, said Micah Truman, CEO of Return Home, a NOR funeral home in Washington. 

Four other states have already legalized the practice of human composting: Washington, Colorado, Vermont, and Oregon. NOR is also awaiting legalization in New York, as the bill is pending a review by Governor Kathy Hochul.