Is It Legal To Use Human Remains As Compost In Iowa?

There are people who are looking into alternative burial options for when they kick the bucket. This one that we're about to dive into is actually not completely legal in many states.

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The state of New York just legalized something called natural organic reduction. It's more commonly called "human composting."

According to reports, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed the bill into law over the weekend. New York is the sixth state to legalize this "green funeral option" in the country.

That's right...

If you're passing by a very lush and green field by a local family farm, you might also coincidentally be going through someone's final resting place. Great Grandma Martha might be the reason your yield is so good this year.

It's an interesting alternative to the traditional burial or cremation options that we hear about.

What happens if someone opts in for this method is; the body will be shut into a container filled with straw or wood chips. The buried body will be converted to nutrient-rich soil in less than fifty days, according to a website called Earth Funeral.

Currently, with the recent New York law being passed, six states have legalized human composting. Is Iowa one of them?

The six states that have passed some sort of law permitting this sort of disposal of human remains are:

• Washington
• Colorado
• Oregon
• California
• Vermont
• New York

Several other states like Hawaii and our midwestern neighbor Illinois have introduced laws that would make this sort of burial legal. Iowa is one of the many states that does not have any sort of legislation or law circulating concerning this topic.

However, there are multiple online groups based in Iowa who are spreading the word about the environmental and ethical considerations of human composting.

So that means if your Grandma Mimi wanted to be buried with her tulips then you'll have to go about it a different way.