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Governor Phil Murphy signed Assembly Bill 4085/Senate Bill 3007 into law on September 11, 2025, legalizing human composting in New Jersey. The law goes into effect in 10 months, giving state regulators time to establish facility standards and licensing requirements.
Breaking Down the Legislative Victory
The bill was passed in June with bipartisan support: 37-2 in the Senate, 79-0 in the Assembly (with one abstention). The bill was primarily sponsored by Assemblyman Herb Conaway in the Assembly (A-4085) and Senator Joe Vitale in the Senate (S-3007).
“This suddenly makes it much more affordable, much more accessible, and much more convenient for people on the East Coast,” said Tom Harries, Co-founder and CEO of Earth Funeral.
The new law will afford New Jersey residents “more choices at end of life while reducing our environmental footprint,” said a cosponsor of the bill, Democratic State Assemblyman Clinton Calabrese.
The Science Behind Soil Transformation
Natural organic reduction or controlled supervised decomposition means the contained, accelerated conversion of human remains into a soil-like product. The organic reduction process involves placing a body in a large vessel that also contains straw, wood chips, and other natural materials. The human remains and organic materials mix with warm air. They are periodically turned until the body is reduced to a soil-like material.
In the composting process, the body is placed in a vessel with organic materials, like mulch and wood chips, for around 30-60 days, according to Earth Funeral, a Washington-based company that offers the service. Microbes that occur naturally transform the body into nutrient-rich soil.
“Human composting is the friendly alternative to cremation, and instead of turned into ash, you are turned into soil,” explains Tom Harries. “The process takes about 30 days. We accelerate it through science and technology, and so you are left with soil in the end, and that is the neat part.”
“Basically the combination of the decedent, air, moisture and organics causes a 131-degree microbial feeding frenzy that kills pathogens and decomposes the remains into a compost-like product,” said Samantha Link, director of government affairs for the New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association. The process is supervised by licensed mortuary personnel.
During the composting process, facilities maintain temperatures of at least 131°F for three days to satisfy pathogen-reduction protocols. The resulting soil is tested for pathogens such as E. coli and Salmonella to ensure safety.
“The idea of my molecules being rearranged during this process changing from human to soil or compost—literally rearranging into a new form that then goes on to nourish new life,” says Katrina Spade, founder and CEO of Recompose. “That’s not about the carbon impact. The real beauty of it is this transformation and a return to the ecosystem which I don’t always remember I’m already a part of.”
Regulatory Framework Takes Shape
The measure authorizes the State Board of Mortuary Science to regulate natural organic reduction facilities, including licensing requirements, oversight of operations, and health and safety rules. Under the law, no facility may operate without annual registration and inspection by both the board and the Department of Environmental Protection.
Natural organic reduction facility means a secure structure, room, or other space within a registered mortuary, or on registered mortuary property devoted to the process of natural organic reduction of a human body.
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Regulations will address building standards, environmental protections such as minimum distances from drinking water wells, and mandatory supervision by licensed funeral directors or mortuary practitioners.
Licensed practitioners of mortuary science or funeral directors would be responsible for the supervision, direction, and management of each facility.
The bill also requires funeral directors to inform families, in writing, that cemeteries are an option for the placement of remains following composting.
Economic Breakdown Versus Traditional Options
According to a 2023 study conducted by the National Funeral Directors Association, the median cost for a funeral with a coffin and burial is $8,300 (not including the burial plot itself, which can range from the hundreds to the tens of thousands) and the median cost for cremation is $6,280.
Composting costs between $5,000 and $7,000. Earth Funeral services cost roughly $5,000, which is comparable to an average cremation and cheaper than even a no-frills traditional burial in a simple casket.
Recompose’s service costs approximately $7,395 in New York and about $5,000 in other markets, with the process typically completing soil delivery in approximately 4-6 weeks.
Environmental Impact Data Points
Each cremation produces approximately 500 pounds of CO2, which is equivalent to a 600+ mile car journey in an average sized car. Industry estimates suggest cremations in the US produce about 850 million pounds of CO2 annually based on current cremation rates.
The human composting process uses significantly less energy than cremation, making it more environmentally friendly. According to Recompose’s own lifecycle analysis, the process saves approximately 0.3 metric tons of CO2 per service compared to traditional methods.
The Federal Trade Commission reports that embalming fluids contain formaldehyde and other compounds, though precise annual volume data are not centrally tracked.
According to the EPA, cremations emit about 1.8 tons of mercury per year nationally, primarily from dental amalgams.
Consumer Appetite Drives Legislative Momentum
Interest in green burials has been gaining ground for years. The NFDA’s 2024 Consumer Awareness report found 60 percent of respondents interested in sustainable alternatives (up from 56 percent in 2021).
National Legal Landscape Expands
Human composting is now legal in multiple states across the country. As of September 2025, thirteen states had legalized human composting before New Jersey: Washington (approved in May 2019, took effect on May 1, 2020), Colorado (approved in May 2021, took effect on August 8, 2021), Oregon (approved in June 2021, took effect on January 1, 2022), Vermont (approved in June 2022, took effect on January 1, 2023), California (approved on September 18, 2022, to take effect in 2027), New York (approved on December 31, 2022, took effect August 7, 2024), Nevada (approved in May 2023, took effect on January 1, 2024), Arizona, Maryland, Delaware, Minnesota, Maine, and Georgia.
“It was first legalized in Washington State in 2020, and 11 states have now followed,” noted Tom Harries in a 2024 interview, before additional states, including New Jersey, joined the list.
Minnesota’s legislation was signed in May 2024 and will go into effect in July 2025.
Current Access and Future Facilities
However, there are currently no composting facilities on the East Coast, compelling people to ship the bodies of loved ones across the country.
“This is really exciting news,” said Katrina Spade. Recompose, Katrina‘s Seattle funeral home has transformed more than 500 human bodies into soil. “I’m pleased to see that New Jersey has become the 14th state to make sure we have the choices we want around the end of life.” She said her firm plans to expand to the East Coast as soon as possible.
“I was so glad to be coming at this problem from the perspective of design,” Spade explained in a June 2025 podcast. “If you’re going to come to the world, including the legislature, including the general public, and say, ‘Hey, we’d like to start composting people,’ it behooves that mission to come at that with some great and beautiful design.”
Earth Funeral works with funeral homes across the country to coordinate transportation, such as shipping the bodies to its facility and the remains back to the family, and similar arrangements can be made for New Jersey residents.
Explore Your End-of-Life Options
Compare different methods to find the option that best aligns with your values and priorities.
| Feature | Human Composting | Traditional Burial | Cremation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Cost | $5,000 – $7,000 | $8,300+ (plus plot) | $6,280 |
| Process Time | 30-60 days | Immediate | 2-3 hours |
| Environmental Impact | Minimal – regenerative | High (land use, chemicals) | Moderate (CO₂, energy) |
| CO₂ Emissions | Minimal to none | Moderate | ~500 lbs per cremation |
| End Result | ~1 cubic yard of soil | Preserved remains | Cremated remains (ashes) |
| Land Use | None required | Permanent plot | None required |
| Memorialization Options | Gardens, tree planting, donation to conservation | Headstone, grave visits | Urns, scattering, keepsakes |
| States Where Legal | 14 states including WA, CO, OR, NY, CA, NJ | All 50 states | All 50 states |
Select a method to see its environmental impact:
Minimal carbon emissions, saves ~0.3 metric tons compared to cremation
No permanent land use required
No embalming fluids or chemicals needed
Uses organic, renewable materials like wood chips and straw
Creates nutrient-rich soil that can support new plant life and conservation projects
Click on each value to learn which end-of-life option might align with your priorities:
If environmental impact is your priority, human composting offers the lowest carbon footprint and actually gives back to the earth. Traditional burial uses the most resources and land, while cremation produces significant CO₂ emissions.
Best option: Human Composting
If maintaining cultural or religious traditions is important, traditional burial has the longest history and is accepted by most major religions. Some faiths have specific requirements that should be considered.
Best option: Traditional Burial
If budget is a concern, human composting often costs less than traditional burial (especially when plot costs are included) and is comparable to cremation in many areas.
Best option: Direct Cremation or Human Composting
If you want a living memorial, human composting allows your remains to nurture new life. If having a permanent place for visitation matters, traditional burial provides this. Cremation offers the most flexibility for keeping or scattering remains.
Best option: Depends on specific preferences
If you’re drawn to innovative approaches and scientific processes, human composting represents the newest option using natural decomposition accelerated through scientific understanding of microbial processes.
Best option: Human Composting
If you prefer a simple, efficient process with minimal planning needed, cremation typically offers the most straightforward logistics and quickest timeline.
Best option: Direct Cremation
Test Your Knowledge
Religious Community Responses
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Doctrine has issued a statement providing principles for evaluating some newer methods and technologies for disposition of the bodies of the deceased. The USCCB’s Administrative Committee approved the issuance of the statement on March 15, 2023.
The committee evaluates the two most prominent newer methods for disposition of bodily remains that are proposed as alternatives to burial and cremation — alkaline hydrolysis and human composting — and concludes that they fail to satisfy the Church’s requirements for proper respect for the bodies of the dead.
“At the end of the human composting process, the body has completely decomposed along with accompanying plant matter to yield a single mass of compost, with nothing distinguishably left of the body to be laid to rest in a sacred place”, according to the USCCB statement.
Some leaders in the Catholic Church oppose human composting, and Thompson-Stanciel says friends and some family were uncomfortable with the decision. She says it’s not for everybody, and it’s up to the person to decide.
Soil Volume and Family Choices
Because the volume of material produced by the process is so large — it can fill the bed of a pickup truck — most families choose to keep a portion of it while donating the rest to a cemetery that uses it at gravesites, on preserved natural areas or for off-site ecological projects.
“You keep and scatter it and plant it, and the families donate the soil as well, so it is getting into conservation projects where it is used for deforestation and eco restoration,” says Tom Harries. “It is a cyclical and regenerative phrase.”
Earth Funeral reports about one cubic yard of soil per service (approximately 1,500-2,000 pounds). Most families choose to keep a fraction of it.
Families can choose how much soil they would like returned — to spread or plant — and the remainder is donated to conservation projects for land restoration initiatives.
Katrina Spade shares examples of what people have done with the soil: “One client in particular, she took her husband’s soil home and she started a new rose garden. She also had her husband’s priest come and bless that garden, so there’s this kind of beautiful weaving of a person’s faith tradition and this idea of returning to the earth.”
Implementation Timeline Details
The law becomes effective on the first day of the tenth month following enactment (approximately July 2026), allowing regulators time to establish standards for facilities to be licensed under the new framework.
Every individual, partnership, or corporation which operates or maintains within this State a mortuary or natural organic reduction facility shall annually apply to the board for a certificate of registration for each mortuary and natural organic reduction facility operated, maintained, or used by the applicant.
The New Jersey law discussed legalization of natural organic reduction as an alternative to traditional burial and cremation. The law covers regulatory requirements, facility standards, cost comparisons with other disposition methods, environmental impact data, legislative voting records, religious community positions, consumer survey findings, and national legal status across multiple states. The law establishes oversight through the State Board of Mortuary Science and Department of Environmental Protection with mandatory annual registration and inspection requirements for facilities.
