51% Fully Support California’s Bill on Human Composting

Californian lawmaker Gavin Newsom signed a bill on September 8, 2022, allowing human composting, also known as green burial. Along with California, four other states, namely Washington, Colorado, Oregon, and Vermont, will follow suit on human composting. The process of human composting involves placing the deceased in an 8ft-long steel box with biodegradable materials. After a specific period, the body breaks down into soil that can be returned to relatives.

A Californian state representative stated that this new alternative is a respectful and greener way in our society for humans to be returned to the Earth as soil. Real Research aims to gather opinions on what the public thinks about the burial option. For this reason, Real Research launched a survey on California’s human composting burial method. Here are the results.

Highlights:

• 38% reveal that human composting would be very effective in combating climate change
• 34.19% feel green burial is environmentally friendly
• 28.61% reply that not all states/countries allow green burial, making it inconvenient and inaccessible

Survey on Human Composting

The survey on human composting starts off by asking respondents’ awareness of the method of Natural Organic Reduction (NOR), where unembalmed remains are naturally decomposed and turned into soil. 53.64% of respondents revealed that they are fully aware of this method. 25.11% were also aware but knew few details, whereas 21.25% were unaware.

Accordingly, California has become the fifth state to legalize human composting. The survey asks which other states are they aware of practicing this. The following are the responses: Washington (43.38%), Colorado (23.95%), Oregon (17.25%), and Vermont (15.42%).

California Catholic Conference Doesn’t Favor Human Composting Bill

The California Catholic Conference has declared human composting as a process of making the human body into simply a disposable commodity that poses environmental threats. The survey asks respondents’ stance, whether for or against California’s bill. The majority (51%) favored the bill and fully supported human composting, whereas 24.55% were against it and opposed California’s bill. 24.46% were unsure.

Composting human remains is more environmentally friendly than cremation. The survey on human composting seeks respondents’ opinions on this burial method’s effectiveness in combating climate change. Most responses (38.04%) said it would be very effective, 21.69% felt it’d be effective, and 16.74% said somewhat effective. Meanwhile, 12.34% said ‘not effective,’ and 11.2% ‘not effective at all.’

Advantages and Disadvantages of Human Composting

Following that, the survey asks about the advantages and disadvantages of human composting. Survey results reveal that the main advantage of human composting is that it is environmentally friendly (34.19%). Others say it creates usable soil (20.71%), and is more cost-efficient than traditional burial and cremation (17.95%). Moreover, 14.79% reply that more land will be available for use since no cemeteries are needed, and 11.45% feel there will be psychological relief for the loved ones.

Finally, the survey asks about the disadvantages of human composting. All 28.61% reply that not all states/countries allow it, making it inconvenient. 23.32% feel it is expensive, and 15.46% think it may go against religious beliefs and sentiments.

Others (12.23%) think it may go against cultural opinions, and 10.33% believe it may imply that human life is disposable (meaningless and insignificant). Meanwhile, 9.41% say it does not apply to all, like tuberculosis-caused death, etc.