DOVER, Del. (AP) — A bill to allow composting of human bodies as an alternative to burial or cremation received overwhelming approval in the state House on Tuesday.
The measure passed the House on a 37-2 vote and now goes to the Senate. It authorizes a practice called “natural organic reduction,” often referred to as “human composting.”
Chief sponsor Rep. Sean Lynn, a Dover Democrat, called the practice a “gentle, respectful, environmentally friendly death care option.”
“Natural organic reduction is a sophisticated process that applies cutting-edge technology and engineering to accelerate the natural process of turning a body into soil,” he said.
Testing in other states that allow the practice found the resulting soil to be “high quality and regenerative,” Lynn added.
Human composting is currently legal in Washington, Colorado, Oregon, Vermont, California, New York and Nevada, and legislation has been introduced in more than a dozen other states, according to Recompose, a Seattle-based company that offers the service and advocates for its expanded use.