"According to Meine Erde, the form of human composting, or "terramation," is a fossil-free process that converts corpses into dirt. An unembalmed body is enclosed in a high-tech casket, which controls humidity and ventilation and also rocks back and forth to accelerate decomposition. Organic materials such as clover, wood chips, straw and alfalfa are added to the casket. After 40 days, the whole pile turns into a a 200-gallon batch of fertile soil."
"The dirt cannot leave the cemetery ground, per the New York state law that legalized human composting in 2023. The composted human remains can be added to the cemetery grounds and even used for tree planting. Green-Wood has not yet announced how much the process will cost, but similar services in California and Washington state range from $5,000 to $7,000. That's far cheaper than a traditional burial at Green-Wood, where a gravesite is priced at $21,000 and a mausoleum for one goes for $50,000."
Green-Wood Cemetery will be the first East Coast burial ground to offer natural organic reduction beginning in 2027 through a partnership with German-based Meine Erde. The process, called terramation, encloses unembalmed bodies in a ventilated, humidity-controlled casket that rocks to speed decomposition while adding organic materials like clover, wood chips, straw and alfalfa. After about 40 days the material becomes roughly a 200-gallon batch of fertile soil. New York law requires that the composted remains remain on cemetery grounds, where they can be used for tree planting. Comparable services cost $5,000–$7,000, less than traditional burials.
Read at Gothamist
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