Bill > S1611

This bill introduces natural organic reduction (NOR) as a legal and environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional burial and cremation in Massachusetts. Natural organic reduction is defined as the "contained, accelerated conversion of human remains to soil" and would be recognized as an official method of human body disposition alongside burial and cremation. The bill makes comprehensive amendments to multiple chapters of Massachusetts law to integrate NOR, including updating definitions, permitting procedures, and regulations for cemeteries, funeral establishments, and medical examiners. Key provisions include allowing cemetery corporations to conduct NOR in dedicated facilities, establishing that human remains can be disposed of through burial, cremation, or NOR, and creating a 48-hour waiting period before NOR can be performed (similar to existing cremation rules). The bill also addresses procedures for handling unclaimed remains, ensuring that NOR follows similar legal protocols as existing disposition methods. This legislation effectively creates a legal framework for a new, potentially more environmentally sustainable method of managing human remains that transforms a body into soil within a controlled setting.

Health and Social Services

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S1611