This US State Just Legalized Composting Of Dead Bodies, And Why India Should Do The Same

Cremating or burying bodies are the two main ways we deal with the dead in India. The problem is, one creates pollution, and the other simply occupies space that can be used for valuable housing. Instead, there's a third option that both saves space and helps the environment.

It involves composting the recently dead.

Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi - Micha? Huniewicz/Flickr

Just to clarify, we're not talking here about just tossing a dead relative's corpse into a pit with the rest of your kitchen waste. There are actually respectful and hygienic ways to do this, so the person's physical remains can be put to use, even while the family has a respectful ceremony.

Washington has become the first US state to legalise this process, though it's not the first place to do this. Human composting is already legal in Sweden, while the UK legalised natural burials, which is where the body is buried without a casket or in a biodegradable coffin.

Under the new US law, signed in by Governor Jay Inslee, people can opt to have the body turned into useful soil. This is an especially efficient method of laying the dead to rest in US cities, where graveyard space is incredibly scarce

Katrina Spade was one of the chief lobbyists for the bill. She recently set up a company called Recompose, that could be the first commercial group to offer the service. "Recomposition offers an alternative to embalming and burial or cremation that is natural, safe, sustainable, and will result in significant savings in carbon emissions and land usage," she Spade told AFP.

With Recompose, they place the deceased's body in a hexagonal steel container filled with alfalfa, wood chips and straw. They eventually shut and seal the container, leaving the body to decompose naturally. When it's opened up again 30 days later, the body is completely gone, and you're left with two wheelbarrows full of fertile soil.

Unfortunately, this process is likely a little expensive to do at the moment. With enough time for the idea to proliferate however, this could forever change the way we deal with death, especially how much we spend.

Consider for instance, that Hindus make up about 79.8 percent of India's population (Census 2011). When they cremate a body, it's either a traditional funeral on an open-air pyre of wood, or sometimes in a CNG-powered incinerator. The former costs anywhere between Rs 2,160 to Rs 50,40,000, based on the type of wood used, according to a study by the Department of Social Work in Delhi.

Muslims (about 14.2 percent of the population) bury their dead. The shroud or kafan costs up to Rs 1,000, with another Rs 1,000 for the grave to be dug and Rs 3,500 Rs 4,000 for wooden planks covering the sides. Plus another Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 for the prayers

Katrina Spade, Founder of Recompose - Twitter

With Christians (2.3 percent of the population), the main expenditure is the coffin and ceremony. The former can cost anywhere between Rs 2,000 to several lakhs depending on quality and craftsmanship. Kuccha graves, basically just dug holes, costs about Rs 3,500, while those with cement or concrete poured over cost up to Rs 6,500. Then there are additional expenses for labourers, flowers, and the priest.

On average, the study says just a burial or cremation costs between Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 across all religions, minus any added expenses for prayers, later memorials, food for attendees, and everything else.

We could avoid a lot of that however if we decide to compost our dead. They won't mind, they're gone anyway. In fact, it would be a huge gesture to them if you could use the soil generated by their body to plant a new tree.