‘Human composting’ on the rise as ‘green funerals’ become increasingly popular

[Kyle]

Why more and more people are seeking out green burial methods over traditional practices


The push for environmental consciousness has sparked the rise of not only green energy initiatives, but now also the move to "green burials" or "human composting" practices over more traditional methods.

Gaining increasing popularity over the last few years, green burial practices leave little to no environmental impact, with "complete decomposition of the body and its natural return to the soil thus encouraging new growth and restoration of ecosystems," according to the Funeral Consumers Alliance. Additionally, unlike traditional burials that use toxic chemicals, only biodegradable substances are used during the burial process.

In 2019, Washington became the first state to allow human composting, followed by Colorado, Oregon, Vermont, California and New York

‘Human composting’ on the rise as ‘green funerals’ become increasingly popular

Green burials, or human composting practices, are growing in popularity across the world. Here is how they differ from traditional burial methods.

www.foxnews.com

 

[PrchJrkr]

Gives new meaning to the phrase "heirloom variety".

"My grampa grew those."

 

[Tech]

The mobs been doing it for decades.

 

[Sneakers]

with "complete decomposition of the body and its natural return to the soil thus encouraging new growth and restoration of ecosystems,"

Then..... how is it we find human skeletal remains thousands of years later?

 

[Clem72]

Then..... how is it we find human skeletal remains thousands of years later?

Bones typically decompose anywhere from a couple of decades to up to 100 years in natural soil conditions. Decomposition isn't some spontaneous function of all matter in the universe, it's primarily a function of being eaten by other organisms. Obviously being in a sealed case / sarcophagus / on the ground in a covered location (like a cave or building) is going to prolong this.

 

[Sneakers]

Bones typically decompose anywhere from a couple of decades to up to 100 years in natural soil conditions. Decomposition isn't some spontaneous function of all matter in the universe, it's primarily a function of being eaten by other organisms. Obviously being in a sealed case / sarcophagus / on the ground in a covered location (like a cave or building) is going to prolong this.

That was kind of my point.... their 'complete composition' doesn't happen overnight as tho it were all flesh.

Unless they get ground to dust, which is kinda gruesome to think about. And only a half step away from Solent Green. Bypass the decomp and go straight to protein bars.

 

[Kyle]

Bypass the decomp and go straight to protein bars.

"All New Clark Bars."

"Now with REAL CLARK!"

 

[David]

I'm all for it. Should drastically reduce the cost of a funeral, I would hope. So many unethical funeral operators out there taking people to the cleaners when they're least able to think clearly. Seems that a modest funeral is now in the $10-20,000 range.

A friend had their mother cremated and buried in an urn in a plot the family already owned in a private cemetery not far from Philly. His brother had died near the same time and was already cremated and would be buried in the same plot next to his mother. Aside from the few hundred dollars he paid the funeral home in Virginia to do the cremation, the company which owned the cemetery pilfered him for around $12,000. I don't remember all of the charges they piled on, but they ranged from drilling the small hole for the urns to an additional fee because a second urn would be buried in the same spot. Keep in the mind that the family already owned the plots.

I watched a video put on by a mortician who was exposing the funeral industry. The list of services and costs the routinely bilk people for is outrageous. One item I recall her discussing was a charge for several hundred dollars to confirm the identity of the deceased with the family. Basically they roll the body out, make it presentable, and walk the family in to say, yep that's them. The lady in the video said this was totally unnecessary.

 

[Grumpy]

I know for my garden I'm gonna order up some dead Democrat cadavers cuz we what they are full of.

 

[Ken King]

With all the meds the wife takes if I tried that with her it would probably be an EPA superfund site.

 

[Dakota]

I'm also all for it. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

I remember when my parents purchased their plots. My mother was super upset that the funeral home intended to put her under my father. She was like, I have been beneath him my whole life and I'll be damned if I'll spend eternity beneath him. It was also known she was terminal at the time and there were no other treatment options. Eventually, they got the plots side by side (so they said), but when my sister passed, my dad decided to place my sister next to my mom. It really was a good decision. I never really felt confident they were not going to put a coffin above her. She would have been okay with my sister being above her. When my father passed, he was cremated. I was surprised he made that choice because he seemed horrified that my husband and I want cremated, but he went to my husband and talked his feelings out with him. Later, he came to us with his wishes.

Something I have often noticed is how quickly graves are forgotten. I used to visit the graveyard often, but it saddened me to see all the graves that had been forgotten.

 

[Bonehead]

Maryland I doubt will ever allow this. I have read that I can be buried on my own property as long as the location is marked. My Mother pre paid her arrangements and it was a blessing. It cost 10K for my Dad in 2002. Ridiculous. But he got what he wanted.

 

[RoseRed]

I'm also all for it. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

Something I have often noticed is how quickly graves are forgotten. I used to visit the graveyard often, but it saddened me to see all the graves that had been forgotten.

I agree about visiting graves. My family is so spread out, we never went back. My paternal gparents were cremated and scattered in the ocean in Hawaii where they met and lived until going to California. My ggaunt & uncle were cremated and incurred in SoCal. Went the funeral/inturnment and have never been back. My Dad was cremated and his wife took his remains back to Panama. My maternal gparents were buried in San Jose, where their parents were buried. The last time I wad tbeir, prior to their burials, was back in the early 70's when my other ggparents were buried. And it was completely different from what I remembered. It was wide open space with the charm and cemetery with rabbits and peacocks roaming the grounds. Now is surrounded by strip mall shopping centers.

 

[spr1975wshs]

My plan is to be cremated along with the cremains of all my past cats.

 

[Dakota]

My plan is to be cremated along with the cremains of all my past cats.

that is so sweet... I want to be far away from my cats, that are not really my cats, but somehow, I have been left as their caretaker.

We have 2, or I should say "I have 2." They are 10 and 12 and I google "life expectancy of a cat," at least once a week. I should be free in 5 years. These 2 cats barely tolerate one another which makes things worse.

My cats are a-holes and wake me up between 3-6 a.m. every morning. If the door is shut, they sit on the other side of it and act like they are dying. Sometimes I wake up with one just staring at me, inches from my face, and it freaks me out.

My husband thinks it is funny, but it really irks me. This morning, my male, meowed his head off and I followed him out the bedroom and into the laundry room. He sat on the floor and meowed at the pet grooming/pet vac gadget I just got before Christmas. He is obsessed with it. It has helped me keep his fur shedding down and helped with my allergies.... but still, his wake-up call doesn't need to come at 5ish a.m. I've tried the entire "no" thing, but he is beyond persistent. I usually give in.

I may sound like a big meanie, but I'm as nice as I can be to them, although I tell them to f-off often that early in the morning. At least I am taking care of them. I know one thing, there will be no more cats in my house after this, and they best not follow me around in the afterlife.

 

[spr1975wshs]

They are 10 and 12 and I google "life expectancy of a cat," at least once a week. I should be free in 5 years.

We've had 2 make it a little past 21. My in-laws had 2 make it to 23.

 

[RoseRed]

Mine are 14.

 

[Dakota]

My female is a Norwegian Forest Cat, average life span is 14-16 years, but our vet told us sometime back, it is more like 12-14. She is 12, seems pretty healthy besides having IBS, which is an entirely different conversation.

Our male is a Maine Coon mix. A Maine Coon can live on average 10-13 years. He is a very big cat, the size of our dog and at last vet visit, was 22-23 lbs.

I cannot leave meat on my counter because that male cat of ours will eat it. He once opened a plastic container and ate all the cornbread stored in it. He is not fat; he is just big. He is 30 inches long. He once showed up at one of our backyard picnics with a huge dead squirrel in his mouth. I guess he was bringing a dish. When it isn't so cold, he usually makes rounds in our neighborhood. The neighborhood likes him because he has made voles, moles and mice disappear. He is just a lot for me to handle when he is stuck in our house.


If they are both alive in 5 years, it would mean our female would be 17+ and our male 15+. I just cannot imagine the gods would be so mean to me.

 

[spr1975wshs]

Our male is a Maine Coon mix.

Our Miss Teia of fond memory was a Turkish Van mix according to the vets who saw her here.
She made it to 21 years and 5 months.
We adopted her at age 12 from her previous people who rescued her off the street from an animal abuser.
They were losing their home to foreclosure, and had no place to bring her.
She was still semi-feral as they, basically, gave her a den in their house, took care of her physical needs, but never socialized her.
Teia was 13 in this picture, and tipped the scales at 20 pounds.

 

[Dakota]

Our Miss Teia of fond memory was a Turkish Van mix according to the vets who saw her here.
She made it to 21 years and 5 months.
We adopted her at age 12 from her previous people who rescued her off the street from an animal abuser.
They were losing their home to foreclosure, and had no place to bring her.
She was still semi-feral as they, basically, gave her a den in their house, took care of her physical needs, but never socialized her.
Teia was 13 in this picture, and tipped the scales at 20 pounds.
View attachment 169045

She is cute. She is, also, a fatty. Our vet thought our cat at 22-23 lbs. was too thin for his size. He is 30 inches long and yours, I'm going to guess and say 17-18 inches?

I bring our male in when it is cold, but frankly, he could stay outside. My fear, when it is below freezing, is that he will freeze to death. I have 2 female dogs that are his size or smaller and the other female cat (12 lbs.). He harasses the hell out of them by hiding, jumping out and giving them skibbity paps all the time. Our female is temperamental. She can be a doll and in a split second, turn, and become nasty. I've often wondered if it would be better if the cats were the same sex.