Maryland opens first human composting facility as burial alternative

Maryland is giving residents a new option for what happens to their bodies after death. According to WYPR, a public radio station serving Maryland, the state is now home to what is described as the nation's largest human composting facility: a 37,000-square-foot facility in Elkridge operated by Earth Funeral. The facility uses a process formally known as natural organic reduction, offering an alternative to conventional burial and cremation.Human composting may sound unusual, but the basic idea is rooted in the natural decomposition of organic material. Instead of placing a body underground or exposing it to the high temperatures of cremation, natural organic reduction uses a controlled environment to accelerate the body's natural breakdown and eventually produce soil-like material.How human composting worksThe process takes place inside specially designed vessels, where bacteria, fungi and organic materials such as mulch help break down the remains over roughly a month.