Australia OKs Human Composting for Burial
The use of deceased human bodies as compost has been permitted in the Australian state of New South Wales, reports The Sydney...
Consensus
- The state of New South Wales in Australia has legalized human composting.
- The law will come into effect in 2028.
- Individuals must give prior consent for their bodies to be composted.
- The resulting compost can be used by families for private land or donated to parks and conservation areas.
- The practice aims to address the shortage of burial land and rising funeral costs.
- Human composting is already legal in some U.S. states and in Germany.
Points of divergence
- Several parliamentarians expressed personal interest in being composted, with one stating he preferred it over cremation or burial due to the idea of a eucalyptus tree growing over his remains. — tg_tvrain
- A member of the Liberal Party of Australia, Susan Carter, raised ethical concerns, arguing that the value of a human body goes beyond its nutrients. — riamo
- There is a reported trend of people in Germany collecting mushrooms on former cemetery grounds, with experts attributing this to mixed plantings of deciduous and coniferous trees creating favorable conditions for mushroom growth. — vm
Coverage (4 sources)
- In an Australian state, composting of deceased bodies was allowed — Дождь (Telegram)
- From human to compost: a state in Australia allowed fertilizing land with bodies of the deceased — РИАМО
- Australian New South Wales allowed use of deceased bodies for compost — Вечерняя Москва
- Use of deceased human bodies as compost allowed in New South Wales, Australia, reports The Sydney... — ТАСС (Telegram)