When you die, one of two things are likely to happen. You’re either going to be buried in a casket or you’re going to be cremated and something will be done with your remains.

Personally, I choose to be buried in a casket. But if you’re a California resident, you’ll soon have a third option. You can get your raw body chunked into some dirt to get decomposed.

According to ABC 7,

Starting in 2027, a different burial method will be available for Californians after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that allows human composting.

AB 351, introduced by Assemblymember Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens), allows for the method in which human remains naturally decompose over a 30-to-45-day period and are turned into a soil. That human-composted soil can then be returned to the deceased’s family or donated to conservation land.

Supporters say it’s an environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional end-of-life options.

California will join four other states in the country – Washington, Colorado, Oregon and Vermont – in allowing human composting.

Micah Truman, CEO of Return Home in Washington, said human composting is an eco-friendly option.

“One cremation takes about 30 gallons of fuel to complete and blows 530 pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere,” Truman said.

He said human remains are placed in a vessel where the body is transformed into soil in 60 days.

“When it’s done we have soil that we give back to the family. The family can put it anywhere they want. The rules are identical to that of cremated remains,” Truman said.

I’m not quite sure how I feel about this. Doesn’t it just seem like…sacrilege or something? Human life is sacred and doesn’t seem like the vessels we carry that life in should be treated better than that? Or maybe it’s just because that’s how our culture is today. What did people do with dead bodies 1000 years ago? What about 2000 years ago? They didn’t have the elaborate caskets and funeral processions that we have today.

What do you think? Is this a good idea, or a bad idea? Why?