Washington first state to allow composting bodies

Daily mail carries the story:  Composting human bodies

Makes sense to me!

I hope this is available in Missouri by the time I'm ready to return to the earth! I absolutely hate the idea of being embalmed. I know it's supposed to be a comfort to the family, but it is so against what I believe in that I hope my family would take more comfort knowing they honored my wishes. With green burial laws so complicated and green cemeteries to few and far between, I would settle for cremation. But composting me to feed me back to my food forest would be IDEAL.

Matt Todd wrote:I hope this is available in Missouri by the time I'm ready to return to the earth! I absolutely hate the idea of being embalmed. I know it's supposed to be a comfort to the family, but it is so against what I believe in that I hope my family would take more comfort knowing they honored my wishes. With green burial laws so complicated and green cemeteries to few and far between, I would settle for cremation. But composting me to feed me back to my food forest would be IDEAL.

Maybe look into your state and county laws.  Here it is pretty easy to be buried on your own land.  You fill out a form and pay a fee.  That's about it.  You can be buried in any box you like, or none at all I believe.

Part of the WI law addressing your concerns:

Is embalming required?
Embalming is a process in which blood is drained from the body and replaced with fluids that delay disintegration. Embalming is rarely necessary; refrigeration serves the same purpose. In Wisconsin, there are no laws or regulations requiring embalming.

Is a casket necessary for burial or cremation?
A casket is often the single greatest expense incurred after a death, costing from about $500 for a simple box to $20,000 or more for an elaborate design.

Burial. No law requires a casket for burial. However, check with the cemetery, which may have require a certain type of container.

Cremation. No law requires a casket for cremation. On the contrary, federal law requires a funeral home or crematory to inform you that you may use an alternative container, and to make such containers available to you. An alternative container may be made of unfinished wood, pressed wood, fiberboard, or cardboard.

Do I have to buy a casket from the funeral home?
No. Federal law requires funeral homes to accept caskets that consumers have purchased from another source, such as an online retailer. You may also build your own casket.

Where can bodies be buried in Wisconsin?
Most bodies are buried in established cemeteries, but burial on private property may be possible in Wisconsin. Before conducting a home burial, check with the town or county clerk and local health department for any rules you must follow. If you bury a body on private land, you should draw a map of the property showing the burial ground and file it with the property deed so the location will be clear to others in the future.

Matt Todd wrote:I hope this is available in Missouri by the time I'm ready to return to the earth! I absolutely hate the idea of being embalmed.

Embalming is not required.  https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/burial-cremation-laws-missouri.html#3

You can also be buried on your own land.  

More about natural burial:  http://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/ask-a-mortician-traditional-or-natural-burial

I just heard of this a few weeks back. I hope it becomes the law here.

Man, I wish I had had the presence of mind to research this stuff when my father died. The funeral parlor told us it was state law that the body had to be embalmed and buried within a sealed vault (which of course cost an arm and a leg).
I was very unhappy with that (and would also prefer to be cremated if that is the law) and may have said that with all the orthodox Jews who live in NJ, that seemed like it might not be true, but my mother was so distraught that I decided to let it go. I guess it's like anything else, prepare now when you don't need it so you can't get broadsided later.

Tereza Okava wrote:Man, I wish I had had the presence of mind to research this stuff when my father died. The funeral parlor told us it was state law that the body had to be embalmed and buried within a sealed vault (which of course cost an arm and a leg).
I was very unhappy with that (and would also prefer to be cremated if that is the law) and may have said that with all the orthodox Jews who live in NJ, that seemed like it might not be true, but my mother was so distraught that I decided to let it go. I guess it's like anything else, prepare now when you don't need it so you can't get broadsided later.

My baby brother died a few weeks ago, and I know what you were going through.  Everyone is still in a state of shock, you can't really process what anyone is saying, and there is a tendency to just go along with whatever they tell you.  It really impressed upon me the need to take care of as much as possible before it happens.  I already have the place on my land picked out that I want to be buried.  I'm getting a large stone moved there that will sit at the head of my grave with no markings on it.  I have my will and instructions prepared, right down to the music I want played at my burial.  The more a person can take care of themselves before they die, the better in my opinion.  I don't want my survivors to be burdened with any more than absolutely necessary.  

The sealed vault is not a law, only a cemetery rule - the vault keeps the soil from subsiding when the casket eventually collapses.  

More about "protective" devices from funeral homes:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W54fpeRZVsw

Wonderful to hear all your voices! There is so much discussion to be had. As a career mortician, I strongly advise you to do your own research and never feel you cannot ask all the questions you need. After all, your loved one who passed is your loved one. Take back your rights to care for your people as you see fit. webpage