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NSW passes ‘human compost’ laws with several MPs saying they will utilise practice after they die

NSW passes ‘human compost’ laws with several MPs saying they will utilise practice after they die

Summary

New South Wales (NSW) in Australia has passed a law allowing human composting as a legal alternative to burial and cremation. This process turns human bodies into soil through natural decomposition in a controlled environment. Several local members of parliament said they plan to use this method after they die.

Key Facts

  • The new law allows human composting, also called terramation or natural organic reduction, as the third legal option for handling bodies in NSW.
  • The process involves placing the body in a vessel with organic materials like straw, where microbes break it down into soil in about 60 days total.
  • The soil produced is dry, nutrient-rich, and free of pathogens, and can help grow plants or trees.
  • The bill was introduced by independent MP Alex Greenwich, who researched the practice in Germany and the US.
  • Several MPs, including John Ruddick and Cameron Murphy, expressed their intention to use human composting after death.
  • The bill requires the NSW government to create regulations for the practice within 18 months.
  • Supporters highlight the environmental benefits, such as avoiding land use for burial and reducing greenhouse gas emissions compared to cremation.
  • Some MPs emphasize the importance of respecting the dead and supporting families through the grieving process during human composting ceremonies.
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