Arizona's law may soon give residents a unique way to extend their stay on Earth by turning soil into fertile soil for plants through the human composting process.
House Bill 2081, dubbed the “Garden Grandpa Bill,” seeks to legalize human composting and allow Arizonans to turn themselves into soil after death.
The fertile soil obtained from human remains can then be freely used for growing bedding and plants, or dispersed naturally, as many people already do with cremated ashes. can.
“We're just trying to make that an option in Arizona,” said bill sponsor Rep. Lauryn Hendricks. “It's been done for quite some time. It just wasn't legal in Arizona.”
“I'm not really for it or against it. I'm just making a choice.” Hendrix told 12NEWS.
Human composting is carried out by specialized companies that promote the process as a sustainable burial method that allows the deceased to continue living in nature.
The bodies will be placed in containers filled with natural wastes rich in microbes, such as leaf mold, wood chips, and wild plants, and left to decompose in the soil for about 45 days.
According to human composting company Earth, most remains yield about 1 cubic yard of soil (3 feet long, 3 feet high, and 3 feet wide).
This process is considerably cheaper than a regular funeral and only slightly more expensive than the cost of cremation.
Currently, human composting is already legal in seven states across the country, including California, Colorado, Nevada, New York, Oregon, and Washington.
Hendricks said he expects the bill to pass unanimously, telling 12NEWS he hasn't heard any opposition and that most people would come around to the idea with a little thought.
However, the representative did not contact all voters.
“It doesn't seem right, it doesn't feel right.” resident Trayton Nepfunbada told 3TV..
“I don't want to go into the backyard and say, 'Grandpa, grandpa, you grew so many tomatoes for us,'” he says.
