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New Jersey Legalizes Human Composting, Expanding Eco-Friendly Deathcare Options
It wasn’t until the mid-2010s that natural organic reduction – often called human composting – even became a concept, when Katrina Spade developed the idea while in graduate school.
She went on to found Recompose, and a few years later – in 2019 – Washington State became the first to allow for the process. In addition to Recompose, another company – Return Home – is also a prominent provider of the form of disposition.
Several years later, we’ve learned that Washington was not an outlier, as New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill on Sept. 11, making it the fourteenth state in the nation to legalize the process.
For comparison purposes, alkaline hydrolysis was first used for the disposition of human remains in an academic setting at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in 2003 before it slowly began being presented as an option to consumers. Today, it is legal in 24 states.
So, what is natural organic reduction?
The process involves placing the body in a reusable vessel, along with organic materials like wood chips, alfalfa and straw. Microorganisms — helped by the right mix of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, heat and moisture — naturally break down the body over several weeks.
The result is soil that can be used much like garden compost: spread in a memorial garden, nourish trees or flowers, or returned to the earth in another meaningful way.
Usually, it takes 30 to 60 days for the process to be completed, and it will result in about one cubic yard of soil, or enough to fill the bed of a pickup truck. The typical cost is $5,000 to $7,000.
The process appeals to some families because it does not use embalming chemicals (like formaldehyde) and does not release as much carbon into the atmosphere as compared with cremation. It also results in more land being conserved than occurs with burial in a traditional cemetery.
States Where Human Composting Is Legal
In addition to New Jersey, where the law to allow for natural organic reduction will take effect in July 2026, here are a list of states where the process is legal, as compiled by ChatGPT:
- Washington — legalized in 2019; effect from May 1, 2020.
- Colorado — legalized in 2021; effective date August 2021
- Oregon — legalized in 2021; effective July 2022.
- Vermont — legalized in 2022; effective January 1, 2023.
- California — signed into law in September 2022; goes into effect in January 2027.
- New York — legalized late 2022; effective mid-2024 (August 2024).
- Nevada — legalized in 2023; effective January 1, 2024.
- Arizona — approved in April 2024; law in effect.
- Maryland — legalized May 2024; effective date October 2024.
- Delaware — legalized May 2024; effective immediately or soon after law signing.
- Minnesota — legalized; law effective July 1, 2025.
- Maine — legalized in 2024; effective immediately.
- Georgia — legalized May 2025; law effective July 2025.
Until the law takes effect in New Jersey, residents there who want to opt for the process will have to send the remains of their loved ones out of state.
Meanwhile, the New Jersey Board of Mortuary Science has been directed to create regulations surrounding the process. Funeral homes and related businesses will be able to apply for licenses to offer the service starting in July 2026.
Learn more: Mandy Stafford, preplanning and national partnerships manager for Return Home, recently joined Alan Creedy and Danny Jefferson on their podcast “Two Guys and a Question” to discuss how her company is helping families embrace natural organic reduction.
Legislation to Allow Alkaline Hydrolysis in Pennsylvania Passes House
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed bipartisan legislation on Oct. 1 to authorize the use of alkaline hydrolysis as a form of cremation in Pennsylvania, according to the bill’s sponsors, state Reps. Mary Jo Daley, Abby Major and Chris Rabb, the Pennsylvania House Democrats said in a news release.
Alkaline hydrolysis – sometimes referred to as water cremation – uses a mixture of water and alkali in a sealed pressurized steel chamber to reduce the body to bone, which is then processed into ash. Unlike traditional flame cremation, which requires temperatures of more than 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit and significant energy use, water cremation is far more energy efficient.
“As more families choose cremation, it’s important to recognize the environmental costs that come with flame-based methods,” said Daley, D-Montgomery. “People often assume cremation is the greener alternative to burial, but in reality, it requires tremendous energy consumption.”
The legislation also gives families more choices when deciding end-of-life wishes.
“As a licensed funeral home director, I have seen firsthand the significant shift to the use of cremation after a loved one dies,” said Major, R-Armstrong/Westmoreland. “By allowing for alkaline hydrolysis, we can offer folks another choice for disposition that is already available in more than half of the states in our country.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, alkaline hydrolysis consumes only about one-quarter of the energy required for flame cremation.
The bill now advances to the Pennsylvania Senate for consideration. This legislation passed the House in the 2024-25 session but was not voted on by the Senate.
Milestone Funeral Partners and Park Lawn Both Expand
Milestone Funeral Partners announced on LinkedIn that it has acquired Sansone Funeral Home, which serves Bristol, Rhode Island.
According to the post, “The Sansone Funeral Home has been a trusted part of the Bristol community — providing compassionate care, support, and guidance to families during life’s most difficult moments. Their commitment to service and family values aligns beautifully with our mission at Milestone Funeral Partners.”
In other news, Park Lawn Corporation announced in a news release that it has opened Taos Memorial Gardens in Taos, New Mexico.
“This beautiful, two-acre greenfield cemetery is located directly adjacent to our DeVargas Funeral Home of Taos and allows us to better serve families experiencing loss by providing a comprehensive means of celebrating, remembering, and permanently memorializing their loved ones in one location,” said Jennifer W. Hay, Park Lawn’s chief executive officer. She added, “Our team at DeVargas has enjoyed working with the leadership and community of Taos, New Mexico to develop this serene final resting place. We are thrilled that it is now open and ready to serve the Taos community.”
Just days later, Park Lawn announced that it has also expanded in Georgia, buying substantially all of the assets of Atlanta Crematory located in Stone Mountain, Georgia; Cremation Society of Georgia located in Atlanta, Georgia; Wages & Sons Funeral Home located in Stone Mountain, Georgia; Wages & Sons Funeral Home Gwinnett Chapel located in Lawrenceville, Georgia; and Wages & Sons Gwinnett Chapel Crematory located in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
The transaction strengthens Park Lawn’s presence in the greater Atlanta, Georgia market through the addition of two stand-alone funeral homes as well as a cremation focused provider.
Report: Former Funeral Home Owner Accused of Stealing Prepaid Funeral Funds Lost Over $1 Million Gambling
Authorities say that former Connecticut funeral home owner Philip Pietras — already under investigation for allegedly misusing advance funeral payments — lost more than $1.2 million gambling at Mohegan Sun over a 14-year span and wagered a total of $8.1 million at Foxwoods Casino during his lifetime, according to a report in CT Insider.
According to a warrant related to his most recent arrest, investigators have not directly tied the stolen funeral funds to Pietras’ gambling habits, though records indicate that money was spent at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City, the Hard Rock Hotel in New Jersey, and the Bellagio in Las Vegas.
Pietras, 51, of Enfield, now faces 20 counts of second-degree larceny and 60 counts of intent to defraud funeral services. Investigators allege he pocketed prepaid funeral and burial funds from 66 individuals, failing to deposit the money into the legally required escrow account.
Pietras’ attorney said he would need time to review the documents before commenting on the new allegations.
At the time of his latest arrest, Pietras was awaiting arraignment on similar charges out of Coventry, linked to his former business Coventry-Pietras Funeral Home. The Vernon charges stem from his operations at the now-closed Burke-Fortin Funeral Home in Rockville.
In an affidavit, Detective Michael Anthony reported that nearly $197,000 meant for escrow accounts was instead deposited into Pietras’ personal accounts and spent primarily on non-business expenses. Another $336,000 in prepaid funds could not be traced to any account.
The thefts in Vernon date back as far as 2009. Because of the statute of limitations for second-degree larceny, which restricts older cases, many of the charges are classified as intent to defraud instead.
Earlier, Coventry police charged Pietras on Sept. 17 with 22 counts of selling funeral service contracts with intent to defraud, 11 counts of second-degree larceny by embezzlement, and one count of second-degree forgery. Investigators there say 22 clients lost a combined $148,000 in prepaid funds, according to Detective Kelsey Carpenter’s report.
Pietras has also been charged by East Windsor police, who said additional arrests are forthcoming, and by Connecticut State Police, who allege he mishandled more than $81,000 belonging to clients with disabilities.
State police are also examining more than 20 potential cases tied to Tolland Memorial Funeral Home, where Pietras once worked, though no arrests have yet been made in those incidents.
Willow Hill Center Awarded $100,000 Federal Grant to Expand African American Funeral Program Project
The Willow Hill Heritage and Renaissance Center has received a major boost from the Institute of Museum and Library Services — a $100,000 grant that will allow the nonprofit to continue its ongoing effort to preserve, digitize, and interpret thousands of African American funeral programs, according to an article in the Statesboro Herald.
The grant, announced Monday, marks the third IMLS award to the organization, which operates from the historic Willow Hill School near Portal, Georgia.
The center’s African American Funeral Programs Project, a collaboration with Georgia Southern University Libraries and the university’s Department of History, has been underway for nearly a decade. Volunteers began collecting and organizing funeral programs nine years ago, and university staff later joined to help digitize the growing archive and make it publicly accessible online.
As part of the latest phase of the project, staff members and librarians are using artificial intelligence tools to improve search accuracy, eliminate duplicates and enhance the collection’s metadata. Four project leaders will share their progress in a presentation titled “A.I. in the Institutional Repository: Leveraging ChatGPT and Python to Support a Community Partner Collection” during the Georgia Libraries Conference, set for Oct. 8–10, 2025, in Columbus.
The collection currently holds about 20,000 funeral programs from African American residents of Bulloch County and surrounding areas, dating back to the 1940s. These documents, which often include family details, locations, and biographical information, have become invaluable for historians and genealogists.
Roughly 9,300 programs have already been digitized and uploaded to Georgia Southern’s Digital Commons, where the collection has generated more than 157,000 downloads and 63,000 metadata page views, according to recent figures.
Bob Arrington Is Honored with the Funeral Service Foundation’s Distinguished Service Award
The Funeral Service Foundation recently announced Bob Arrington as the 2025 recipient of its prestigious Distinguished Service Award, honoring his decades of exemplary leadership, service, and dedication to advancing the foundation’s mission and strengthening the funeral service profession.
A visionary leader and compassionate professional, Arrington has left an indelible mark on funeral service. His remarkable career began at seven years old in Milan, Tennessee, and has spanned more than five decades of service, entrepreneurship and leadership. In 1995, he founded Arrington Funeral Directors in Jackson, Tennessee, and went on to innovate within the profession through ventures like Corporate Funeral Providers and ObituaryShare.com.
A tireless advocate for the profession, Arrington played important roles at the Tennessee Funeral Directors Association and the National Funeral Directors Association, serving as its 2015-16 president, holding multiple officer roles, and contributing to numerous committees and task forces for more than two decades.
His contributions to the Funeral Service Foundation have been equally profound. From 2013 to 2023, he served as a foundation trustee, including as chair of the board from 2017 to 2019. During his tenure, the foundation’s endowment more than doubled – from $5 million to more than $11 million – while nearly $5 million in grants were awarded to programs and initiatives that support grieving communities.
His leadership was instrumental in the development and rollout of several key foundation initiatives. Beyond his service, Arrington and his wife Judy Arrington are charter members of the Guardian’s Fund, the foundation’s planned giving society, demonstrating a deep personal commitment to the future of funeral service.
“Bob Arrington exemplifies what it means to serve with heart, purpose and vision,” said John Heald, foundation chair. “His leadership has not only shaped our Foundation but also uplifted countless professionals and families across the country. It is our honor to recognize his enduring legacy with the Distinguished Service Award.”
The Distinguished Service Award is presented to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the success and growth of the Funeral Service Foundation through acts of service or volunteer leadership.
The award will be presented Oct. 27 during the Funeral Service Foundation Donor Reception at the NFDA International Convention & Expo (Oct. 26 through 29 in Chicago, Illinois).
In recognition of his lifelong contributions, the foundation is raising funds to establish an academic scholarship in Bob Arrington’s name. Known for his dedication to helping others, from championing fundraising initiatives to serving as the longtime auctioneer for academic scholarships at Foundation events, this special occasion marks a heartfelt moment where the profession can express its gratitude to a remarkable leader.
Gifts and pledges to support the scholarship may be made here.
Indiana Funeral Directors Association Warns of Possible Scam
The Indiana Funeral Directors Association recently warned its members about an incident that raised concerns about a potential memorial service scam.
“They were contacted last week by an individual named Maxwell Moreno, who wished to arrange a memorial service for his mother, Jessica Ann Moreno,” according to the post. “He later emailed additional details, including a request to hire a band and insisted that the funeral home pay for the band and include as a third-party charge on the contract.”
The information was never able to be verified, and the funeral homes became suspicious. The IFDA thinks the scam might be repeated in a bid to take advantage of funeral homes.
