Maryland county approves first agricultural use of composted human remains

Worcester County, Maryland’s Board of Zoning Appeals faced an unusual question on Aug. 13: can soil made from human remains be used to grow trees? Earth Funeral, a funeral home which offers patrons the option of having their corpse turned into soil, asked lawmakers to allow them to use the soil for conservation work, with the intent to turn 15 acres of farmland around Snow Hill into a haven for native trees. In a 4-2 vote, the board approved.

Brian Shane reports in OC Today-Dispatch that in 2024, Maryland lawmakers approved the Green Death Care Options Act, which legalized alternatives to burying and cremation. In May, Earth Funeral opened a facility in Elkridge, offering residents the option of having their body undergo a “natural organic reduction” after death for about $5,000. The chemical-free process uses wildflowers, woodchips and microbes to compost corpses into about 300 pounds of soil. 

Now, Earth Funeral intends to buy Snow Hill field as a conservation site and plant enough seedlings to transform the space into a forest. The families of the deceased are able to choose how much of the soil they want to keep and how much, if any, they want to donate to the restoration project. Earth Funeral will test the soil before it leaves the facility to ensure it is free of heavy metals and harmful bacteria, and cannot legally grow food with the soil, Shane reportsIt also will not legally qualify as a cemetery, which is a distinct land use, as it will lack public access and signage.

Earth Funeral has run a similar reforestation project in Washington state for the past four years. Some Worcester residents whose properties border Snow Hill remain concerned about the impact of Earth Funeral’s soil on their land.

Read the full story, below.