New Jersey legalizes human composting as green alternative to burials, cremation

Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News on Sep 17, 2025

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New Jersey has become the latest state to legalize human composting as an environmentally-friendly alternative to burials and cremations.

The legislation, signed into law last week by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, will soon allow for funeral homes and other end-of-life facilities to offer the new service — formally known as natural organic reduction — which entails transforming human remains into a nutrient-rich soil loved ones can then use to curate new plant life.

Its passage is the result of a collaborative effort between state lawmakers and the New Jersey Funeral Directors Association, sparked by growing interest in the process statewide. The law is slated to go into effect next year.

Garden State residents previously had to transport loved ones’ remains to another state, like Washington and Oregon, for the service, where companies like Earth Funeral continue to gain popularity.

The human composting process entails placing a human body into a vessel with organic materials like straw and wood chips, which are then combined with warm air to naturally decompose the remains into soil over the course of several weeks. And while it takes significantly longer than cremation and the burial process, human composting has been heralded as more sustainable than the more traditional alternatives.

Not only does it conserve land, it reduces the gas emitted from decomposing corpses polluting earth’s atmosphere.

In 2022, New York legalized human composting through legislation aimed at achieving the state’s goal of eliminating carbon emissions by 2050. Though there are no facilities in New York state that currently perform the process of natural organic reduction, they partner with facilities in other states, mainly Washington state.

In addition to both New York and New Jersey, 12 other states have legalized the practice.

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