FRESNO, Calif. — Fresno County leaders are sounding the alarm after learning that human compost may have been spread on public land along the San Joaquin River.
Supervisor Garry Bredefeld is calling the practice illegal and demanding it stop immediately.
The controversy stems from approval given to a company called Earth Funeral to incorporate human compost into soil at Sumner Peck Ranch near Solitary Cellars.
At Thursday’s news conference, several county supervisors shared they were against this from taking place and say they are working to gather more details.
Fresno Public Health has been called in to investigate, and county leaders are planning an ordinance to ban human compost on county lands and put safeguards in place to prevent this from happening again.
Bredefeld said, “The stupidity and the lack of common sense is absolutely breathtaking. This public land is culturally significant and environmentally sensitive. People currently use this land to pick fruit from trees and there are daily wine tasting events there.”
Bredefeld added that the San Joaquin River Conservancy requested the site be closed, but their request was ignored.
“Sharon Weaver refused to close the gate, and when Chairman Tibbets said Fresno County Health needed to assess what was happening, she stated, ‘Go for it. We’re going for it.,” he said.
In 2022, California passed Assembly Bill 351, which legalizes human composting, also called natural organic reduction, but the law does not take effect until January 2027.
This makes California the fifth state to allow the “green burial” option, following Washington, Colorado, Oregon, and Vermont.
Supervisor Nick Richardson said, “I didn’t want to sit on information that my residents would want to know, including the illegal and sometimes unreported dispersal of human compost at a place where Fresno and Madera residents alike visit with their families.”
At this time, it’s still unclear exactly where the human composting is taking place or whether it poses any risk to the public.
Earth Funeral provided the following statement to FOX26, “For many families, natural organic reduction is a safe and dignified way to create a living legacy. Donating the soil of a loved one to important conservation work like the projects being led by the San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust resonates deeply with families in Fresno and beyond. We all share the goal of protecting and restoring this special ecosystem.”
The company also said it is temporarily suspending operations while all parties work to align on a collaborative solution that supports conservation and respects families and community partners.
For more on AB 351, you can click here.