Washington: Can You Really Bury Your Spouse In The Yard?
A friend of my wife was talking about how they are going to bury their husband in the back yard and my ears perked up. Can she really do that? If I had overheard my wife talking about this to her friends about me I might make this crazy face?
CAN SHE BURY HIM IN THE YARD? Technically the answer is yes, and you can also if you live in Washington State. Before you get excited about revenge on an ex-husband and try to bury him in the yard, you better listen up. There are a few steps you should know first. I though she was crazy when I overheard the conversation but it is something they have planned out together. This has been happening in Washington State since it became legal in the US for the first time in 2019. If your interested, it cost around $4,000 – $5,500 to do. How is this legal you ask?
WHAT IS HUMAN COMPOSTING? A law passed in 2019 made Washington State the first legal place in the USA for legal human composting. Known as “terramation” or “natural organic reduction” (NOR), it was created by Recompose and then studied at Washington State University. After successfully composting an animal carcass, they proved the theory could work and have now made it work for humans.
HOW DOES IT WORK? Converting a human body to compost works by "placing the remains inside a cradle or vessel, which looks like a large cylinder. Bacteria and wood chips may be introduced inside the cradle as well. It is kept at a high heat and naturally breaks down remains in the following weeks" according to reports.
WHERE ARE HUMAN COMPOST FACILITIES? There are a total of 4 states where this is legal now, Washington, Colorado, Vermont, Oregon. A 5th state, California, has to make regulations by 2027 to be legal. Three facilities were set up in Washington State by 2020, with on being located in my hometown of Tri-Cities. There are many benefits to human composting including converting the body to CO2 instead of methane.
The process uses oxygen to consume the flesh which allows the bacteria to covert to CO2 and a compost that can be used for fertilizer. After the process is done, the family can request to have the soil returned or it can be spread on a location. The Tri-Cities facility spreads the composted soil in an area of the Olympic Peninsula or you can bury them in your backyard garden like my wife's friend if you want. LOL