Human composting has officially come to New Jersey. As of July 11, people will have the option to literally become one with nature when they die.  

The 14th state to allow human composting, New Jersey is getting on board with the green burial movement, which promotes options for a body that don’t harm the earth. There were already a number of South Jersey cemeteries offering burials that placed bodies in the ground with no embalming and without a casket, but human composting takes it a step further. 

The process takes about 3 to 5 weeks. The body is placed in a closed, reusable vessel with things like wildflowers, wood chips, alfalfa and straw. The vessel is rotated to promote aeration and quicken the composting process. Micro-organisms break down the body, transforming it to soil.

About 1 cubic meter of soil, which can be used the same way you use any soil, is created and delivered to loved ones. Some families have found it meaningful to use the soil to plant a tree or spread throughout a garden.

While most people are eligible for human composting, some are not because of health risks to the public. That includes people who have been embalmed, or who died with a highly contagious disease like ebola.