Dutch Health Council rejects human composting as burial option
The Dutch Health Council has advised against allowing human composting as a legal alternative to burial or cremation, citing insufficient evidence on its safety and sustainability. The council reaffirmed that chemical dissolution of bodies, also known as resomation, remains a viable option under scrutiny.
Human composting, or “verdaaren,” involves placing a non-embalmed frozen body in a sealed concrete composting cocoon with plant materials such as straw and hay. After a process of approximately 40 days, the body decomposes into fertile soil that families can use to plant trees or plants.
The council stressed that the risks and sustainability of human composting cannot yet be fully assessed. Standard procedures for the method do not exist, and rules for handling human remains must still be defined by law.
While human composting is permitted in some regions abroad, including the U.S. state of Washington where it became legal in 2021, the Health Council says scientific data on the method remain limited. “The composting occurs in an oxygen-rich environment, allowing potential pathogens to multiply and spread through the air,” the council said in its advice to the cabinet. It also warned that hazardous substances could be present in human remains.
According to AD, the foundation Veraarden has advocated for including human composting in the new Funeral Services Act. Board member and funeral director Jenneke Haaksma of Zeist, 46, told the press last year, “It moved me that you can leave this world in a natural way, by becoming part of the ecological cycle, as was done by indigenous cultures.”
In contrast, the Health Council maintains support for chemical dissolution of human bodies. Known as alkalische hydrolyse or resomation, the process involves placing a body in a pressurized tank filled with water and potassium hydroxide, which dissolves the body in approximately 2.5 hours. The remaining bones and medical devices, such as hip implants, can then be returned to the family.
