Human composting: California clears the way for greener burial method

State is the fifth to legalize environmentally friendly process that allows for natural reduction of human remains to soil

California lawmakers have approved a new way of returning those who have died to the earth, after Gavin Newsom signed into law a bill allowing human composting on Sunday.

Cremation, which accounts for more than half of burials, is an energy-intensive process that emits chemicals such as CO₂ into the air. Through human composting, or natural organic reduction (NOR), the body is naturally broken down into soil.