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Human Composting Is Available to New Jersey Residents—With Out-of-State Care
New Jersey’s human composting law is in effect. See how residents can arrange out-of-state care and what to confirm before choosing a provider.
Yes. New Jersey residents can arrange human composting through providers that transport the body to an out-of-state facility. For example, Jersey Memorial Group offers arrangements through its partnership with Recompose in Seattle. That is different from having the composting process performed inside New Jersey. Jersey Memorial Group’s service details explain this transport arrangement.
As of October 31, 2026, New Jersey’s legalization law is in effect, but in-state implementation remains a separate issue. Before committing, ask where the process will actually take place—not just whether a company “serves New Jersey.”
What New Jersey’s law allows
Human composting is formally called natural organic reduction (NOR). New Jersey defines it as the contained, accelerated conversion of human remains into a soil-like product. It is not the same as placing a body directly in the ground for green burial.
Governor Phil Murphy approved the law on September 11, 2025. Its delayed effective-date provision made it operative on July 1, 2026, rather than immediately upon signing. The law requires an in-state NOR facility to be within a registered mortuary or on registered mortuary property, hold Board registration, and receive Department of Environmental Protection inspection and approval before opening. P.L. 2025, chapter 143
Legal authorization does not itself establish an operating facility. The New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association currently describes regulations as pending drafting, while Earth Funeral’s New Jersey service page states that there are no human composting facilities in the state.
If a provider offers to perform NOR at a New Jersey address, request its facility registration details and confirm them with the State Board of Mortuary Science, which lists its telephone number as 973-504-6425.
Two routes New Jersey families can ask about now
These are advertised service routes, not endorsements or a complete provider directory.
| Provider | Where the process takes place | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Earth Funeral | Its New Jersey page lists facilities in Elkridge, Maryland; Auburn, Washington; and Las Vegas, Nevada. | Whether it can accept the person from your location now, which facility will receive the body, and the complete transport charge. |
| Jersey Memorial Group, through Recompose | Seattle, Washington. Jersey Memorial Group says it arranges transportation to its partner. | Which local funeral home will handle arrangements, the receiving facility’s availability, and the total price across both providers. |
Sources: Earth Funeral’s New Jersey coverage and Jersey Memorial Group’s NOR partnership.
If a death has occurred, start with: “We want natural organic reduction. Can you arrange it now from this New Jersey location, and where will the body be taken?” Confirm acceptance and care arrangements before authorizing transport.
Get a complete quote and a plan for the soil
Ask for a written quote identifying whether each of these is included or additional:
- Collection of the body and local funeral-home services.
- Refrigeration while awaiting transfer.
- Transportation to the receiving facility, including any mileage or airfare charges.
- Required paperwork and copies of death certificates.
- The NOR process itself.
- Soil containers, return shipping or collection, and any cemetery placement charges.
Also ask for the expected time from collection to soil return, not just the advertised transformation time. Earth advertises a 30–45-day transformation, while Recompose describes eight to twelve weeks of care, including time in the vessel and subsequent soil curing. Those figures should not be treated as a guaranteed end-to-end schedule that includes transport and soil return.
Decide how much soil the family wants returned and what will happen to the remainder. If you want cemetery placement, ask the funeral director for the New Jersey Cemetery Board’s current list of participating cemeteries. The law requires written notice that a listed cemetery is an option; it does not mean every cemetery accepts NOR remains. New Jersey’s cemetery-notice provision
For a garden or another meaningful location, confirm applicable local rules and the landowner’s permission before placing the soil. A provider’s offer to return it is not permission to spread it anywhere.