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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Kari Paul

Human composting: California clears the way for greener burial method

A man wearing a mask over his nose and mouth holds out a large white bowl filled with soil. Behind him are large white rectangular lockers stacked three rows high.
Micah Truman, CEO of Return Home, a Seattle company that composts human remains, said the demand for such after-life care has been growing. Photograph: Ted S Warren/Associated Press

California lawmakers have approved a new way of returning those who have died to the earth, after Gavin Newsom signed into law a bill allowing human composting on Sunday.

Cremation, which accounts for more than half of burials, is an energy-intensive process that emits chemicals such as CO2 into the air. Through human composting, or natural organic reduction (NOR), the body is naturally broken down into soil.

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