Washington Could Be First State to Legalize Human Composting

Washington residents "are very excited about the prospect of becoming a tree or having a different alternative,” state Sen. Jamie Pedersen said

When Americans die, most are buried or cremated. Washington could soon become the first state to allow another option: human composting.

As NBC News reported, the push to allow composting of human remains originates with Katrina Spade, 41, a Seattle-based designer who started focusing on the idea in 2013 while working on her master’s in architecture at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

“We really only have two easily accessible options in the U.S. — cremation and burial,” she said. “And the question is: Why do we only have two options, and what would it look like if we had a dozen?”

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