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Today Minnesotans have four options for the disposition of their body after death: conventional burial, green burial, flame cremation and water cremation. Natural organic reduction (NOR) is a unique option that would allow a person to enhance the environment through their death, a meaningful preference for some Minnesotans.

• Traditional burial leaves the body intact and placed within a casket. The casket is lowered into an excavated grave, typically supported by a grave liner or burial vault, filled with soil, and marked by a gravestone/marker. The body can be embalmed to extend the opportunity for a viewing or visitation prior to the funeral and committal services. (funeralbasics.org)

• Flame Cremation uses flame and heat to reduce human remains to bone fragments, or cremated remains. This is completed with a machine called a cremator. (Cremation Association of North America)

• Water Cremation, also known as alkaline hydrolysis, uses a water-based dissolution process to reduce the human remains to bone fragments, cremated or hydrolyzed remains - with alkaline chemicals, heat, agitation, and pressure to accelerate natural decomposition. (Cremation Association of North America)

NOR, also known as human composting, is the transformation of a human body into useful, nutrient rich soil. Recompose, a licensed green funeral home in Seattle Washington and a pioneer of the NOR process describes their human composting process this way:

Recompose places each body into a stainless steel vessel along with wood chips, alfalfa, and straw. Microbes that naturally occur on the plant material and on and in our bodies power the transformation into soil. Over the next five to seven weeks, the body inside the vessel breaks down thanks to the natural action of the microbes. The soil is then removed from the vessel, screened for non-organic items such as hip replacements or stents, and allowed to cure for an additional three to five weeks. Once the process is complete the soil can be used on trees and plants or donated to conservation efforts. Each body creates about one cubic yard of soil. (Recompose)

In the same way cremation ashes are scattered, stored or displayed, families can use the soil to memorialize their loved one. They can scatter the soil in a meaningful place, or nourish a houseplant, tree or memorial garden. They can also donate some or all of it to conservation efforts.

Yes! Soil produced by the NOR process was proven safe and effective in a 2018 study by the Washington State University Soil Science Department. (“Proof of Concept: Recomposition of Human Remains, Dr. Lynne Carpenter-Boggs, WSU October 25, 2018. Click here for summary)

H2669F/SF3134 will establish licensure requirements for NOR facilities in Minnesota that will be subject to strict regulations regarding the quality of soil produced. The process will be regulated by the MN Dept of Health Science Division.

NOR will give Minnesotans the option to have a positive environmental impact after their death, leaving a natural legacy that is unique from other body disposition options.

• NOR uses ⅛ the energy of burial or cremation and

• NOR saves over a metric ton of CO2 per person.

• NOR does not use fossil fuels or emit carbon dioxide and mercury into the air like flame cremation

• NOR uses 90% less water than water cremation

• NOR does not consume metals, hardwoods, concrete, hazardous embalming fluids and land like conventional burial.

• NOR has the added benefit of producing nutrient rich soil that can be used to nourish plants, trees, and gardens as well as land restoration and conservation

To measure the environmental impact of human composting, expert Dr. Troy Hottle developed a scientific model to compare cremation, conventional burial, green burial, and human composting. The model showed that human composting and green burial perform far better than cremation or conventional burial at reducing carbon. The research showed that between .84 and 1.4 metric tons of carbon dioxide will be saved each time someone chooses human composting. (Recompose)

In the United States, NOR is legal in Washington, Colorado, California, Oregon, Vermont, New York, Nevada and Delaware. See a full list of states working on legislation here. NOR Minnesota hopes to become the 9th state to legalize NOR and give Minnesotans another body disposition option.

The bills permit the conversion of human remains to basic elements using natural organic reduction and establish licensure requirements and fees for natural organic reduction facilities.

Follow the links for HF 2669/SF3134 for further detail.

NOR MN legislation is consistent with existing MN laws that don’t require a licensed practitioner of mortuary science (a funeral director) to be the owner of a licensed crematory, funeral home, or cemetery. MN law would still require a funeral director to sign the arrangement contract and to take the body into the NOR provider’s care.

NOR facilities in other states keep costs comparable to other death care options when total costs of body disposition are considered. Below costs do not include viewing/service.

NOR: $6,500 avg

(basic service fee, transport to facility, NOR process)

• Sample pricing from existing providers:

  • Recompose funeral home, WA : $7,000

  • Earth Funeral Home, WA, OR: $5,000

  • Return Home, WA: $5,000

  • The Natural Funeral, CO $7,200-$9,200

Burial w/Embalming:

• $7,219 avg funeral home (basic service fee; transport, embalming, basic casket. Funeralocity 2024)

• $7,785 est cemetery (grave plot, interment, burial vault, marker, Lakewood Cemetery 2024 price list, minimum costs)

Direct Cremation:

• $2,914 avg crematory + optional cemetery costs to memorialize (removal from place of death, transfer to crematory, alternative cremation container, cremation services, ashes directly to family in cardboard box. Funeralocity, 2024.)

Green Burial:

• $7,850 est (grave plot, interment, Resurrection Cemetery, Mendota Heights 2023)