DOVER — Delaware has added a surprising new strategy to reducing its carbon footprint, as it is now the 10th state to pass a human composting bill, allowing individuals to remain eco-friendly even in death.
In May, Governor John Carney signed House Bill 162, making human composting legal in Delaware. Human composting, an alternative to traditional burial, transforms a body into nutrient-rich soil through microbial decomposition. After death, the deceased body is placed in a biodegradable container with organic materials like wood chips and straw and kept in a controlled environment where microbes break it down over several weeks into natural organic material.
State Sen. Laura Sturgeon (D-Hockessin), the bill’s Senate sponsor, explained that human composting offers grieving families death care options that align with their values of sustainability, renewal, and environmental replenishment.
“Human composting gives Delawareans the opportunity to minimize their carbon footprint for a cleaner, healthier environment for …