Human Composting is Legal in New York—Now What?

In the face of so many environmental crises caused by climate change, more and more Americans have been thinking about their carbon footprints. Not only the footprints we make by living — but also the ones we make by dying. An alternative method to burial and cremation has been gaining interest across the country, and it recently became legal in New York: human composting.

But legalization is really just the start of the story. Human composting still faces a few major barriers before New Yorkers can actually choose it, and competing interests between businesses in the death industry are complicating matters.

The Takeaway producer Mary Steffenhagen reports on what’s next for human composting and what it says about how we commemorate our time on earth.

Listen to The Takeaway's previous report on human composting with former producer Meg Dalton here.

In the face of so many environmental crises caused by climate change, more and more Americans have been thinking about their carbon footprints. Not only the footprints we make by living — but also the ones we make by dying. An alternative method to burial and cremation has been gaining interest across the country, and it recently became legal in New York: human composting.

But legalization is really just the start of the story. Human composting still faces a few major barriers before New Yorkers can actually choose it, and competing interests between businesses in the death industry are complicating matters.

The Takeaway producer Mary Steffenhagen reports on what’s next for human composting and what it says about how we commemorate our time on earth.