For generations, Australians have had two main choices when they die: burial or cremation. New South Wales has just added a third.
This week, the NSW Parliament passed laws allowing human remains to be turned into nutrient-rich soil, a process formally called terramation and widely known as human composting. It’s the first law of its kind in Australia.
Supporters say it’s a gentler, greener way to return to the earth. Critics say it doesn’t sit right. Here’s what the new law means and how the process actually works.
What Did NSW Just Pass?
The Public Health Amendment (Terramation) Bill 2026 was introduced by Alex Greenwich, the Independent Member for Sydney. It passed the Legislative Assembly unanimously on October 15 and cleared the Legislative Council on October 21, 2026.
The bill changes the Public Health Act 2010 to make terramation a legal alternative to burial or cremation. It now goes to the Governor for assent before it becomes law.
The bill was originally called the Natural Organic Reduction Bill. At the government’s request, it was renamed and the wording changed throughout. “Composting” became “terramation”, and “dead bodies” became “human remains”. Supporters of the change argued that “composting” carries undignified associations with waste.
How Does Terramation Work?
Terramation is a controlled, accelerated version of natural decomposition.
- An unembalmed body is placed in a sealed vessel with plant materials such as wood chips, straw and alfalfa.
- Over about six to twelve weeks, carefully controlled temperature, moisture and oxygen help microbes break the body down.
- Medical implants are removed, and any remaining bone is mechanically reduced and mixed back in.
The result is roughly a cubic metre of soil. According to Greenwich, the process produces about 110 kilograms of safe, nutrient-rich compost.
What Happens to the Soil?
Families can collect the soil and use it to plant a memorial tree or garden. It can also be donated to soil or bush regeneration projects.
If the person who arranged the terramation doesn’t collect the remains, the law allows them to be given to another person, or placed in nearby ground or a burial ground by the facility.
When Can People Choose It?
Not yet. Even with the bill passed, there’s a waiting period while the government develops the rules and facilities are set up.
Terramation facilities aren’t expected to open until around 2028. Until then, burial and cremation remain the only legal options in NSW.
Why Supporters Say It Matters
Supporters see terramation as a more sustainable choice. Greenwich has said the process needs no caskets, coffins or burial land, and can be carbon neutral.
That pitch has extra weight in Sydney, where cemetery space is under growing pressure. Supporters also argue that terramation uses less energy than cremation and gives families a meaningful way to remember loved ones, such as growing a tree.
The bill had broad support in parliament. Labor and the Greens backed it, and the Liberals stopped short of opposing it.
Why Some People Are Uneasy
Not everyone is comfortable with the idea.
NSW Premier Chris Minns admitted earlier this year that the concept made him feel “a bit weird”. Some religious commentators, including writers in the Catholic press, have argued that turning a human body into soil doesn’t honour the dignity traditionally given to the dead.
As with any change to how we handle death, opinions are likely to remain divided, and nobody will be required to choose it.
Where Else Is Human Composting Legal?
NSW isn’t the first place in the world to allow it. Washington became the first US state to legalise natural organic reduction, and the first facility opened there in December 2020. Several other US states have since followed, and Sweden also allows the practice.
Some places add restrictions. Colorado, for example, bans using soil from human remains to grow food.
The Bottom Line
NSW has made history by becoming the first Australian state to legalise terramation. It won’t be available for a couple of years, but for people who want their final act to help something grow, the option is now on the way.