Ha! I once told a department director (this would be like 5 levels above me, works for the Gov.) that if he didn't work out, we now have a compost bin out back for the coffee grounds, and we could just recycle him. :-]

I think it was Joepyeweed that once posted how long it would take to compost a body.

Makes you wonder how she knows! :-)

Val

Its quicker if you shop anything you want to compost, up.....sorry just a little Halloween humor....speaking of which almost time to go pumpkin road hunting, they are usually smashed for you and you do the community a service.

Well if we're going to go that route, get a chipper, a la "Fargo". :-p

Six months - hot pile.

Lloyd

Six months - hot pile.

And you know this.....how?!

Umm....your wife's doing good, Lloyd....yes?

:-)

Val

Wife??

;-)

Lloyd

It disturbs me that I am laughing at all this!

This thread reminded me of something that I heard on the radio a while back. According to this article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42711922/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/earth-day-co-founder-killed-composted-girlfriend/#.TqLkFrLpyAg the cofounder of Earth Day killed and composted his ex-girlfriend.

Oops! That's not funny at all.

Jim

Here is a link that might be useful: Earth Day co-founder killed, composted girlfriend

gruesome story... I'm sure it will be a plot on csi, law and order or some-such tv show soon (if it hasn't been used already)

"gruesome story"...agreed, but even rookie composters know that isn't composting.

Lloyd

Years ago on the farm, we called Orestes Fertilizer Company when we had a large farm animal die.

The writer and founder of Garden-Ville, Malcolm Beck, wrote about this very topic. It's posted on his web site.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pushing up Daisies

Yikes, that story's a surprise to me.

Yeah, the way that was described, it was not proper composting. :-[

There was a compost murder on a episode of Bones.

There was someone on this forum awhile back that was writing a murder mystery that involved composting the evidence. It was a great thread with lots of good ideas.

I've composted a deer carcass, so if a human body decomposes at about the same rate as a dead deer, then I agree with Lloyd. Six months in a hot pile should do it.

While it's not in a compost pile, there is a fair amount of very carefully compiled data on the rate of decomposition on the ground. There are one or more secluded and I presume (or hope) fenced off areas of forest in the US where human bodies are left out to decompose. They are used for forensic (police/coroner) research and training. I've seen at least two news articles on them.

Ugh.

But I'll bet peoples' ashes have gone onto a garden more than once.

I do not need meat products for composting, so I do not use them.
However,I was a big fan of martial arts & a catalog I mail order from.
It had a Illegal section for "academic use only".
IT described using lime in a pancake batter consistency in a 55 gallon drum, to dissolve a body in days,even the teeth.
My family is fine, it is my mind that is troubled.