nor education 8 min read

By TerraCare

The History of Natural Organic Reduction: From Concept to Legal Disposition (colloquially referred to as human composting)

Natural organic reduction (NOR) — the carefully managed biological process that transforms human remains into nutrient-rich soil — is one of the newest legally recognized disposition options in the United States. But it did not appear overnight. Its story stretches from agricultural composting research and the green burial movement through a single pivotal TED talk, a landmark piece of Washington State legislation, and a wave of laws that have now made it available in 14 states. Here is how it happened.

What is the history of natural organic reduction (human composting) and how did it become legal?

Natural organic reduction as a licensed human disposition method traces to designer Katrina Spade, who founded the Urban Death Project in 2014 and gave a TED talk in 2016 introducing the concept widely. Washington State became the first to legalize NOR in May 2019 (SB 5001), signed by Governor Inslee. Colorado and Oregon followed in 2021, and by April 2026 fourteen states have passed NOR legislation. The first commercial NOR facility opened in Seattle in December 2020.

  • NOR's modern form traces directly to Katrina Spade, who founded the Urban Death Project in 2014 and delivered a 2016 TED talk that brought the concept to global attention and built momentum for legalization.
  • Washington State was the first to legalize NOR in May 2019 (SB 5001), passing 38–11 in the Senate and 80–16 in the House — the first commercial facility opened in Seattle in December 2020.
  • Fourteen states have legalized NOR between 2019 and 2025 — a remarkable pace from a single state to over a quarter of U.S. states in under a decade.
  • The legislative model Washington developed (WAC 246-500), including temperature standards, pathogen testing, and chain-of-custody requirements, has been adopted as the template by states that followed.
  • Consumer demand is driving continued expansion — 61.4% of consumers report interest in green funeral options (NFDA 2025) and the national cremation rate of 63.4% reflects families actively seeking alternatives to traditional burial.

Where Did the Idea Come From?

The science behind NOR is not new. Farmers and land managers have known for generations that organic matter — including animal remains — can be safely and efficiently composted into stable, fertile soil. The same microbial processes that break down a fallen tree or a pile of autumn leaves can, under the right conditions, transform larger organic material into finished compost.

What was new in the early 2010s was the question: could these same principles be applied to human remains in a controlled, dignified, and legally regulated setting?

Researchers began exploring this question seriously around 2012. The concept fit naturally within a broader green burial movement that had been growing since the 1990s — a cultural shift toward end-of-life practices that minimize environmental impact, avoid embalming chemicals and concrete vaults, and allow the body to return to the earth as naturally as possible. NOR took that impulse a step further, not just allowing natural decomposition but actively accelerating it in a way that produced something families could carry forward: living soil.

For a deeper look at the biological process itself, see our article on body composting science.

Katrina Spade and the Urban Death Project

The figure most closely associated with bringing natural organic reduction into public consciousness is Katrina Spade. A designer and urban planner by training, Spade became interested in the question of how cities might handle death differently — more sustainably, more meaningfully — and began researching composting science as it might apply to human remains.

In 2014, Spade founded the Urban Death Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to designing a human-scale composting system and building the public and regulatory case for its legalization. The project drew on existing agricultural research and began working with soil scientists and public health experts to develop what would eventually become the NOR process as it exists today.

Spade’s 2016 TED talk introduced the concept to a global audience. The talk was direct, warm, and disarming — she described not only the science but the emotional resonance of the idea, the possibility of a death that contributed something rather than simply consuming resources. It resonated widely and brought both public attention and early supporters to the cause.

In 2017, Spade founded a public benefit corporation in Seattle, Washington, to bring NOR services to market. That company became the first licensed NOR provider in the United States.

Washington State: The First Mover

The legislative breakthrough came in Washington State. On May 21, 2019, Governor Jay Inslee signed Senate Bill 5001 into law, making Washington the first state in the United States to legalize natural organic reduction as a legal form of human disposition.

SB 5001 directed the Washington State Department of Health to develop detailed health and safety standards governing temperature, pathogen reduction, soil testing, and the return of soil to families. That regulatory framework took shape over the following two years and has since informed legislation in other states.

Proponents emphasized both the environmental benefits — NOR produces substantially less carbon dioxide equivalent than flame cremation, according to life-cycle analyses cited by NOR providers — and growing consumer demand for alternatives to traditional burial and cremation. The first commercial NOR facility in the United States opened in Seattle in December 2020, making Washington the first place in the country where families could actually access the service.

For current legal status across all 14 states, see our detailed resource on where natural organic reduction is legal.

The Spread: State by State

Once Washington proved that NOR could be legalized, regulated, and operated without incident, other states moved quickly. The wave of legislation that followed over the next several years was striking in its pace.

Colorado and Oregon (2021) were the next two states to act. Colorado’s Senate Bill 21-006 and Oregon’s House Bill 2574 both passed in 2021, adding two more states to the map and signaling that Washington’s experience was replicable.

Vermont (2022) followed, and California (2022) represented the largest single expansion of legal access by population. Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB-351 in September 2022, though California’s law set an operational date of January 1, 2027 — NOR is fully legal there, but providers cannot yet begin operations.

New York, Nevada, Arizona, Maryland, Delaware, Minnesota, Maine, Georgia, and New Jersey have all subsequently passed legislation. As of April 2026, the total stands at 14 legal states, though New York and New Jersey are also legal but not yet operational. New Jersey is expected to become operational around July 2026. Families in those three states can research and plan now, but should check with providers directly for current timelines.

The 14 legal states as of April 2026 are: Washington, Colorado, Oregon, Vermont, California, New York, Nevada, Arizona, Maryland, Delaware, Minnesota, Maine, Georgia, and New Jersey.

For state-specific information and a full breakdown of where to find providers, visit our state guides resource.

The Industry Today

What began as a single provider in Seattle has grown into a small but established industry. Multiple NOR providers now operate across the legal states, each with its own approach to the process, the vessel design, and the family experience.

The providers who were earliest to market have refined their processes and expanded capacity. Newer providers have opened in other states, and TerraCare Partners has taken a decentralized approach: a partner program that allows established funeral homes to offer NOR services without building standalone facilities, embedding terramation within the funeral homes families already know and trust.

Consumer demand is real and documented. The National Funeral Directors Association’s 2025 Cremation & Burial Report shows cremation now accounts for 63.4% of dispositions, and interest in green alternatives has grown steadily alongside it. Families are increasingly aware of the environmental footprint of their choices.

Ready to explore terramation options? Contact TerraCare Partners

Where Is It Heading?

The legislative momentum shows no sign of stopping. Additional states are actively considering NOR legislation, and the experience of the 14 states that have already acted provides a clear regulatory template for those that follow.

Industry professionalization is also underway. Training standards, professional associations, and regulatory frameworks are maturing alongside the providers themselves. NOR is no longer a novel experiment — it is a recognized, regulated form of human disposition with a growing body of operational experience behind it.

Consumer awareness continues to build. As more families learn about NOR — through providers, funeral homes, and resources like this one — the question shifts from “what is this?” to “is this right for us?” That is a meaningful shift, and it reflects how far the industry has come in a relatively short time.

To understand more about what NOR involves and whether it might be the right choice for your family, see our complete guide to natural organic reduction and our overview of what natural organic reduction is.

Find a funeral home offering terramation in your state

Sources

  1. Washington State Legislature — SB 5001 (2019), the first law legalizing natural organic reduction in the United States. https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=5001&Year=2019
  2. Washington State Department of Health — Natural Organic Reduction licensing and health and safety standards (WAC 246-500). https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=246-500
  3. Katrina Spade — TEDxOrcasIsland Talk, March 5, 2016. https://www.ted.com/talks/katrina_spade_when_i_die_recompose_me
  4. Colorado General Assembly — SB 21-006 (2021), legalizing natural organic reduction in Colorado. https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb21-006
  5. Oregon Legislative Assembly — HB 2574 (2021), legalizing natural organic reduction in Oregon. https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2021R1/Measures/Overview/HB2574
  6. California Legislature — AB-351 (2022), legalizing natural organic reduction in California effective January 1, 2027. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB351
  7. National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) — 2025 Cremation & Burial Report, disposition preference trends and national cremation rate. https://nfda.org/news/statistics
  8. New York State Assembly — A382 (2022), authorizing natural organic reduction in New York. https://nyassembly.gov/leg/?bn=A382&term=2021