Controversial New Burial Method May Be Coming to Arizona

When a loved one passes away, there are many options on where to lay them to rest. Many choose graves with marked tombstones, while others prefer to cremate the body and spread the ashes at a place of significance.

There is a radical new form of burial, however, that may be making its way to Arizona soon.

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Getting in Touch With Mother Nature

Arizona is a state well aware of its natural beauty, and Rep. Laurin Hendrix wants to push for funeral services to add to that. He plans on introducing HB2081 to Arizona, legalizing human composting. This is currently only legal in Washington, Colorado, California, Vermont, Oregon, Nevada, and New York, making Arizona only the eighth state to bring this radical new burial method into law.

The name itself has made many uncomfortable, but Hendrix has total faith in his proposal, and is sure that it will resonate with many grieving families.

What is Human Composting?

While the name may be off-putting, human composting is an incredibly heartwarming and sentimental form of burial.

After death, the body is placed inside a container with organic material and left there for one to two months. During that time, the body is decomposed within the material, creating fresh fertile soil.

Once the process is completed, families can take the soil and plant with it. It's a way to create new life from the past, with many planting flowers or trees that symbolize the beauty that person brought to their and others' lives.

While this bill does not force anyone to practice human composting, it gives families the option to grow new life from their deceased. Some may be opposed to such an unusual way of burial, but if passed, the bill may begin to change people's views of death itself.