NPR

Soil Instead Of Ashes: Human Composting Is About To Become Legal In Washington State

Washington is set to become the first state to legalize human composting, a process that turns bodies into soil within 30 days.
Katrina Spade, the founder and CEO of Recompose, displays a sample of the compost material left from the decomposition of a cow, using a combination of wood chips, alfalfa and straw, as she poses in a cemetery in Seattle. (Elaine Thompson/AP)

There are typically two ways to say goodbye to a loved one, either through burial or cremation. But in Washington state there will soon be a third option: human composting.

Washington is expected to become the first state to legalize the process, formerly known as natural organic reduction, which turns bodies into soil within 30 days. Gov. Jay Inslee is expected to sign the bill into law next

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