Slashdot Mirror
Washington Could Become the First State To Compost the Dead (nbcnews.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Motherboard: Washington could become the first state to embrace another funerary practice by making it legal to compost the dead. The method is called "recomposing" and claims to be cheaper and more environmentally friendly than traditional burial or cremation. It involves rapidly decomposing a body and converting the remains into soil. That nutrient-rich material can then be used to grow trees, flowers, and other new life. The alternative practice hinges on a bill that state senator Jamie Pedersen plans to introduce next month, according to NBC. It would legalize recomposing in Washington where burial and cremation are currently the only acceptable ways to dispose of human remains. A public-benefit corporation, Recompose, is responsible for the actual composting. "The transformation of human to soil happens inside our reusable, hexagonal recomposition vessels," Recompose states in an FAQ. "When the process has finished, families will be able to take home some of the soil created, while gardens on-site will remind us that all of life is interconnected."
"The process utilizes a 5-foot-by-10-foot pod full of organic 'tinder' such as straw and wood chips," reports Motherboard. "Thermophilic or heat-loving microbes then metabolize the remains, maintaining an internal temperature of 131 degrees Fahrenheit within the vessel. The entire ritual takes one month, and produces a cubic yard of compost, according to Recompose." Non-organic materials such as artificial hips will be screened for and recycled, and people will certain illnesses may be ineligible since some pathogens may be resistant to the composting process.
"The process utilizes a 5-foot-by-10-foot pod full of organic 'tinder' such as straw and wood chips," reports Motherboard. "Thermophilic or heat-loving microbes then metabolize the remains, maintaining an internal temperature of 131 degrees Fahrenheit within the vessel. The entire ritual takes one month, and produces a cubic yard of compost, according to Recompose." Non-organic materials such as artificial hips will be screened for and recycled, and people will certain illnesses may be ineligible since some pathogens may be resistant to the composting process.
Could you imagine what soil that contains dead mammals would smell like? This needs to be stopped.
...we've already got landfills. Just toss the body into a landfill, and done!
That said, I'm not actually opposed to the idea. But I expect the lawsuits wrapped around the first case where the family can't agree on method of disposal will make this a very unpopular option....
"I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
We need to be able to vote on the living that need to be added to the mix!
Why not just find a hill, dig a hole, throw the person in upside down and plant a tree in their arsehole? We need more trees anyway.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
I think it would be great if we could replace cemeteries with forests. For each body, a small hole is dug, the recomposed soil is placed in it, along with a tree. Then a simple stone indicator is placed in the ground instead of a giant ego-tombstone. Instead of a family mausoleum, you have a family grove.
Maybe the family can choose the type of tree, or if that doesn't work for forest planning, you have a pine cemetery and an oak cemetery, etc. These could also be functional parks and rec sites instead of giant repositories of the dead that people rarely visit.
I'm sorry, but your opinion seems to be wrong.
"Bring out yer deaaaaaaad!"
"Freedom in the USA is not the ability to do what you want. It is the ability to stop others from doing what THEY want"
Exactly. I'm sure that 131 degrees Fahrenheit is not hot enough to kill the wee beasties found in a human body. We don't use human feces as fertilizer for much the same reasons. I guess it would be okay for non-edible plants to grow in.
When we compost plant material, one of our goals is killing whatever viable seeds there may be in it. That's fairly easy when the internal temperature of the compost is about 130 degrees or more. But bacteria would find those temps a virtual heaven for multiplying. Remember too, the highest temperature is only at the center of the compost pile. That's why we turn the pile regularly.
High society lady to the pianist, "That piece was excellent, very nice. Wondering who composed it"
Pianist, "Vivaldi madame, Four Seasons".
Lady: "Good, is he still composing?"
Pianist: "No madame, he is decomposing."
sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
I'm sure that 131 degrees Fahrenheit is not hot enough to kill the wee beasties found in a human body.
Doesn't have to. That's not how composting works. You are thinking in terms of cooking which is not what is going on. Composting relies on various thermophilic organisms to consume the decaying matter and they generate heat as a by-product. In fact it doesn't work if it gets too hot and kills the microorganisms. That heat is what is generated by them doing their work. When they have digested the matter the compost cools down again.
We don't use human feces as fertilizer for much the same reasons
No the reason we don't use human feces as fertilizer is something quite different. Compost is quite safe to use and carries no meaningful risk of transmission of harmful pathogens. It's a completely different process with completely different risk profiles.
Another wooooosh. Thanks for the tip. I thought all mammals went to Mammal Heaven and didn't decay in the soil.
After I die I might finally be useful at gardening.
/* No Comment */
They can pry my nutrients out of my cold dead hands.
This posting is provided 'AS IS' without warranty of any kind, implied or otherwise.
Another wooooosh.
Say something stupid. Get a massive smackdown delivered. Claim it's a "whoosh".
Sure thing buddy. We do all believe you.
SJW n. One who posts facts.