Church of England to consider 'human composting' and 'water cremation'

Article content

The Church of England could consider “human composting” at Christian funerals to help meet net zero targets.

Bishops are considering establishing a consultation group to assess the “theological considerations” of alternative means of body disposal.

Recommended Videos

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

Church of England to consider 'human composting' and 'water cremation' Back to video

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

Play Video

Only burial and cremation are currently available in the U.K. However, environmentally friendly alternatives such as human composting — in which microbes are used to convert bodies into compost — and resomation — or “water cremation,” where the body is dissolved — are growing in popularity elsewhere.

In 2020, the General Synod, the church’s legislative body, voted to set a target of carbon neutrality by 2030. In a written question to the Synod ahead of this month’s conference, which began Monday and runs until Thursday, the Rev. Canon Andrew Dotchin, the Synod’s representative on the churches’ funerals group, asked if the church had any “theological objections” to either resomation or human composting.

Replying on behalf of the chair of the House of Bishops, the Bishop of Lichfield, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Michael Ipgrave, suggested the canon could help to organize “a small consultation … to look at this question in more detail and with ecumenical input.”

There is no law against resomation in the U.K., but no water firm has so far granted permission for its drains to be used to dispose of human remains.

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.