When it comes to end-of-life services, most people tend to think of cremations or coffin burials.
However, there is another choice that is gaining popularity: human composting.
The process of having your body returned to the Earth is offered by a company called Recompose in Seattle, US, to the tune of £5,500 ($7,000 USD).
Though this is just the starting price – you’ll have to pay more depending on which custom ceremony you choose and if you want any extras, such as ritual bathing or a live stream of the event.
With the cost of dying in the UK soaring in 2024 – the average price of a funeral is just under £10,000 according to SunLife – this could well be a less costly alternative.
And it seems Brits are keen, too.
“It would be wonderful if you could bring this to the UK,” commented Liz on a recent Facebook post.
“Please expand to Europe,” asked someone else.
Unfortunately, human composting – also known as terramation – is not legal in Britain yet.
But if you’re curious about the process, here’s what it involves.
Just as it sounds, the body will be composted, decaying in a special mixture of wood chips, alfalfa and straw chips.
This takes place over eight to 12 weeks, a process that Recompose claims requires just one-eighth of the energy of a “conventional burial or cremation”.
There are four phases; during phase two, which is known as ‘laying in’, the body will be placed inside a large vessel behind a white circular hatch.
It is then monitored as it decomposes into soil.
The amount of soil a body generates varies per person but is typically around one cubic yard and weighs around 500-1,000 lbs.
It can then be used to nourish flower gardens and house plants.
Morgan Yarborough, a licensed funeral director who leads the services team, said loved ones usually react strongly when they see the compost for the first time.
“Upon first receiving the compost, clients are moved to touch it immediately – it’s tangible, full of life, and smells like the forest floor,” she said.
“Their loved one’s energy carries on and grows new life.”
Speaking further about the company’s services, Yarborough explained that some clients will request the use of Cedar, a private room where they can view or care for the body before it is prepared for composting.
She described this as a “spa for the dead”.
Yarborough added: “The serene space includes amenities like essential oils, hair brushes, candles, linens, and music, and staff are available for guidance. Some clients have compared it to a ‘spa for the dead’.”
If human composting doesn’t sound appealing to you, there are some other unusual alternatives.
There’s water cremation, which involves submerging the body in a bag of 160C water treated with alkali.
It is legal in the UK but up until late last year, had only been used in limited trials.
Last week, What’s The Jam also reported that you can now scatter your ashes in space – with a deceased woman’s remains recently having been released alongside her cat’s ashes.
What type of death will you choose?
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