The state of Washington is now the first in the U.S. to legalize human composting, according to reports.

The bill, which was signed into law on May 21 by Governor Jay Inslee, permits residents to turn their human remains into soil following death as an alternative to traditional burial and cremation.

In an environmentally friendly process, the decomposed remains are turned into soil and are then given to the deceased person’s loved ones to plant vegetables, trees or flowers.

The process places unembalmed, human remains in a composting chamber where they decompose surrounded by organic materials, including straw and woodchips. Occasionally, air pulls into the chamber to hasten the process, encouraging microbes to move faster. After one month, what is left is typically one cubic yard of compost.

The process is already legal in Sweden and a similar process, where remains are buried without a casket, is legal in the U.K.

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