Washington passes bill to legalise human composting

Washington state lawmakers have passed a bill to allow human composting, according to CNN.

Recomposition is the process of turning the bodies of deceased humans into soil.

Katrina Spade, the CEO of Recompse, a company that wants to build a human composting facility, says the body is covered in natural materials such as straw or wood chips.

Microbes then break down the body into the soil over a period of three to seven weeks.

Relatives can then choose to keep the soil in urns, use it to plant trees or spread it on public land in Washington state, according to the Associated Press.

CNN quotes the bill's sponsor Senator Jamie Pederson as saying that: "People should have the freedom to determine for themselves how they'd like their body to be disposed of."

You can find out more about the process in the video above.