When it comes to dealing with dead body, cremation and burial are the norms. Folks can choose to send the ashes of their love one into space too, but really, that’s extravagant to say the least. However, unbeknownst to most people, there is an actually a more “environmentally-friendly” way to send off the dead and that is, wait for it… composting.

Recompose Dead Body Composting Service
Pictured: Recompose’s first location in Seattle.

We are talking about human body composting here, btw, NOT food or plant composting. It is a thing, alright. This new kind of after death service was started by a Seattle-based startup, Recompose.

Last year, Washington becomes the first state in the U.S. to legalized natural organic reduction, or body composting, as an alternative to current options. We shan’t dig into the “science” of it, but the important thing is, if don’t know this option exists, now you know.

Recompose said it will work directly with its clients “to ensure respectful, empathetic service from the time of death through the body’s transformation into soil.” I guess that kind of changes the phrase “ashes to ashes, dust to dust” to just, ermm, dust to soil?

Recompose Dead Body Composting Service
Pictured: Recompose vessel. It’s designed to hold one person’s body. Under and around the body is a soft mixture of wood chips, straw, and alfalfa.

Once the body is turned into compost, clients will be sent a specially design 64-ounce container of soil to the chosen person (living one, of course) and the remaining soil will be donated to Bells Mountain conservation forest.

NOW READ  Heinz Tomato Ketchup Clear Is Not Real But I Think We May Know What It Really Is

However, clients may also choose to pickup the entire cubic yard of soil at their own estate’s expense. You know what? That got me thinking… in future, there is a chance that the next home you buy may have a backyard filled with the previous owner’s dead love ones. Just saying it could. I mean, where else would a living person store a cubic yard of soil, right?

Anyhoo… Recompose will start accepting bodies in November 2020. There’s a catch, though. The death has to be in Seattle area. Also, it is not cheap. It is pricier than sending a piece of the dead love ones to space. The price of Recompose service is US$5,500 and it does not include other fees not associated with dead body composting service.

Images: Recompose.

Published by Mike

Avid tech enthusiast, gadget lover, marketing critic and most importantly, love to reason and talk.