The circle of life is an intrinsic part of existence. A flower buds from a seed, blossoms, loses its petals as it begins to frost, and slowly withers away, returning to the earth to be decomposed. From here, an orchestra of events occurs with microscopic creatures breaking down what once was alive and returning it to a new natural state on earth. This process is consistently ongoing in many forms, from plants to animals, to our food scraps. So why does this natural process sound so obscene and controversial when we apply it to ourselves and our loved ones? It seems there are complications when combining the complex sentiment around death and evidence-based science. Nevertheless, composting human bodies is not only possible, but slowly integrating itself as a method of after-life care.
Death does not prevent someone from having a positive or negative impact on the environment. There are many ecological and health implications to our current forms of afterlife care: burials and cremation. Cremation involves the incineration of a carcass in an industrial-like furnace at extremely high temperatures, leaving a heap of ashes. The rest of the corpse leaves the earth in a puff of dark black smoke. This 1 1/2 to 2 hour combustion process powered by fossil fuels emits toxic chemicals into the atmosphere such as carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides, as well as an array of poisonous metals from dental fillings and implants.
Although formal cemetery burials may seem more environmentally friendly, preparing a corpse for burial requires formaldehyde: an embalming fluid and carcinogen used to prevent the body from decay. Morticians preparing the body for burial are at risk of frequent exposure. On the other hand, many cultures practice natural burials by disposing of bodies directly into the earth. This method is highly unsafe because as the body begins to decompose, fluid released from the body disperses into groundwater systems and carries pollutants and pathogens throughout the soil.
There is a stark difference between natural burials and human composting, more commonly referred to as terramation. Composting requires an environment suitable for microbes to thrive with a balanced mix of oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen. In terramation, a corpse is the nitrogenous element in place of food scraps, and the carbon elements are alfalfa, woodchips, and straw. These components, moisture levels, and temperature levels are closely monitored to create an environment suitable for the correct type of microbes, fungi, and bacteria to release from the corpse’s skin. While the microbes are at work, energy in the form of heat is released from the body as its chemical bonds break down and transform into small pieces of dirt.
The human composting process was first tested in a 2018 study with six donors whose bodies were placed in a fridge-like insulated container in a Seattle warehouse. The process was inspired by the animal carcass composting used for the mass disposal of infected livestock. The illnesses present in these animals, such as salmonella and the avian flu, are not safety concerns when using the compost product because the heat emitted from the microbes is warm enough to kill these pathogens. Within the first few days, temperatures can reach up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Similarly, composting humans does not pose a health threat concerning pathogen transfer if high temperatures are sustained, except for extreme cases like ebola, tuberculosis, and prions.
Within one to two months, the bodies decay into nutrient-dense compost, ready to restore nutrients to the earth. However, legal restrictions on funerals, cremation, and burials limit wide scale terramation practice. Micha Truman, the founder of Return Home, one of the first and largest terramation companies, took his case to court in 2018 and fought to have the process legalized in Washington. Since then, the process has become legal in six states and is disrupting the funeral industry.
“There is a notable rise in the “green death” movement, even though many can not bear the thought of receiving pounds of compost-filled bags instead of their loved one’s ashes.”
There is a notable rise in the “green death” movement, even though many can not bear the thought of receiving pounds of compost-filled bags instead of their loved one’s ashes. The science is too new to determine with certainty that terramation is the most environmentally friendly method. For many, this process will remain creepy and inhumane, but for others, this may be the future of how we care for our dead. It seems as though the fate of terramation lies in the societal perception of death and loss, something so ingrained in our culture that the prevalence of this process remains unknown.
