“Grandpa in the Garden”
Under Arizona’s new “Grandpa in the Garden” bill, human remains may be turned into fertile soil that can be used in a loved one’s backyard or garden instead of traditional burial or cremation. The process is said to be cheaper than traditional burial or cremation methods and takes around 45 days to complete. Your loved ones will have the alternative to retain some of the soil created after scattering or planting a portion of the soil. Our guess is this is more for trees than vegetables, but who knows.
The new law permits the eco-friendly alternative for the disposition of someone’s body upon death via a process known as Natural Organic Reduction. The definition of “Cremation” pursuant to A.R.S. §32-1301 was revised to mean “the process that reduces human remains to bone fragments or soil by combustion, evaporation or Natural Organic Reduction.” Natural Organic Reduction is defined as “the contained, accelerated conversion of human remains to soil.”
Arizona became the eighth state to legalize human composting, pursuant to HB 2081. This bill amended A.R.S. § 32-1301 and A.R.S. § 32-1398 and was signed into law on March 29, 2024.
More information about human composting can be found via the following link: Soil Transformation, Human Composting | Earth Funeral.
