A woman I met in December 2025 expressed happiness that human composting had come to our state. Really? I was highly skeptical, knowing that our state has NOT YET passed legislation to legalize this process. Bills in support have been filed in three legislative sessions so far, but not yet voted into Massachusetts law.
When I asked, “Where did you hear of this?,” she held up her mobile phone displaying a webpage clearly titled Human Composting in Massachusetts. (!)
It was an attractive website with a prominent button for “Instant Online Price.” Curious, I pushed the button. But no price was given, only a series of requests to provide name, address, email, etc. so that this company could get back, later, with a quote. (I refuse to get pulled in on such requests; I should be able to view a price list without providing personal information.)
I alerted our Board of Trustees about this puzzle. How could a company be promoting a process that is not yet legal within Massachusetts? I thank Kara Ribeiro, our newest trustee, for digging more deeply into the matter. She found THREE separate companies that each now have websites promoting human composting for Massachusetts residents. All three “are fairly transparent that the body disposition can not/will not take place in MA.” All three have the business model of shipping bodies to their own facilities in the state of Washington. They do comply with the FTC’s rule about providing General Price Lists (GPLs). Kara reports, “While two of them do have a system to request a quote that requires personal information, they also all have their GPLs posted.” Here are links to GPLs Kara found:
Earth funeral GPL: https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/67bcfb5c31ea0933cd0c384d/68d1d9a3bdc3607456645ce3_PA%20GPL_20250812.pdf
Return Home GPL: https://returnhome.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Return-Home-GPL-7_1_2025.pdf
Recompose GPL: https://recompose.life/green-funeral/ (flat rate of $7,000).
NOTE: Airline fees would be extra, and unpredictable in advance. Consider, too, the environmental impact of shipping a body across the country.
This Earth-friendly idea of turning our deceased bodies into healthy soil will be more meaningful for Massachusetts consumers when we can choose a LOCAL composting facility. Or, as a compromise, one in a nearby state. It is encouraging that several nearby states (Vermont, Maine, and New York) have already approved the process. We await word of when any facilities are established near us.
