The US state of California will offer its citizens a different burial instead of traditional methods such as cremation and burial, with new legislation due in 2027 that will allow human remains to be turned into compost for manure.
Natural Organic Reduction (NOR), or human composting as it is better known, consists of placing the body in a reusable container surrounded by wood chips that is ventilated to allow it to fully decompose in the soil in about a month, allowing microbes and bacteria to grow. .
The service is already offered by some American companies, as it is legal in the states of Washington, Colorado, and Oregon. Now, the law, enacted by state governor Gavin Newson last Sunday (18), empowers all California residents to choose to compost their bodies.
The bill prohibits the gathering of multiple objects in the same facility, with the exception of family members, and also prohibits the sale of land in areas where human fertilization is made, as well as the cultivation of food crops in these areas.
According to Natural Geographic, cremations release carbon monoxide through burning fossil fuels to create fire that turns the body into ash, which has caused the United States to emit approximately 360,000 metric tons of polluting gas per year. Thus, human composting is structured as a more sustainable, natural and ecological way.
“As climate change and sea level rise are very real threats to our environment, this is an alternative method of final disposal that will not contribute emissions to our atmosphere,” said Democratic MP Cristina Garcia.
the church opposes
Despite all the environmental benefits of the method, the California Catholic Church has opposed it, stating that Natural Organic Reduction “reduces the human body to a disposable commodity.”
Kathleen Domingo, Executive Director of the California Catholic Conference, published a statement shared with news site SFGATE, stating that “NOR uses essentially the same process as a home garden composting system.”
“These methods of extermination were used to reduce the possibility of disease transmission from the dead corpse. Using the same methods to ‘transform’ human remains can create an unfortunate spiritual, emotional and psychological distancing from the deceased,” the Sister said.
source: Noticias
