Washington could be first state to allow human composting

SEATTLE (AP) – Washington could become the first state to legalize human composting.

KIRO-TV reports a proposed bill that would allow for human composting, also known as “recomposition,” is moving through the Washington State Legislature.

Katrina Spade is the CEO of Recompose, the company aiming to be the first to build a facility for human composting. She says during the process the “body is covered in natural materials, like straw or wood chips, and over the course of about three to seven weeks, thanks to microbial activity, it breaks down into soil.”

The state Senate passed the bill on Jan. 30. A companion bill is moving through the state House.

If the bill makes it to the governor’s desk, Spade hopes to start work on designing the facility by 2020.