Squiz Shortcuts: How does human composting work?

Up until recently, people in Australia had 2 options for what could happen to their remains after they died - either burial or cremation. But now there’s a third choice, after NSW became the first Australian jurisdiction to pass human composting laws last month. It means people in the state may soon be able to have their remains transformed into compost-like material, so in this Squiz Shortcut we’ll look at how it works, why this is happening and whether it’s likely to become more common in other states and territories.

Squiz Recommends: 

Perusing: This visual piece by Bevan Shields from the Sydney Morning Herald on how human composting works. It’s one of those cool interactive online pieces with some super helpful graphics. 

Watching: A TED talk from Katrina Spade - she started the world’s first human composting company in the US. 

Reading: A University of Melbourne piece that looks at some of the other alternatives to burial and cremation.

Sponsored: Stockland, helping give you an understanding of the property market.

Hosted by Andrew Williams and Anna Pykett

Researched by Anna Pykett

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