FAQs: Updated October 31, 2022

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Why would I want to compost my pet’s body?

The cremation of an average size dog releases approximately 100 lbs. of greenhouse gas. That means as few as 22 dogs can create a metric ton. And, each metric ton shrinks the Arctic sea ice by roughly 32 square feet. So environmentally, it’s not great. There are an estimated 124,000 dogs in Berlin. The city doesn't keep track of cats, but in Toronto (a similar sized city) there are 25,000 registered cats. Most people opt for cremation when their pet dies because there is no better (legal) option. That’s a lot of needless emissions!

When a body is cremated, all the rich nutrients and organisms that could promote and support new life are destroyed. Most cremations happen outside of the city so often your pet’s body will be driven for 1-2 hours to reach the crematorium and then back again as ash, adding to the carbon footprint.

Burial is another traditional option and is better for the environment than cremation but, as with human burial, it’s an ongoing expense/maintenance and, depending on how many pet cemeteries there are near you, you may have to travel far just to visit the grave. It also means that your pet is taking up space, unnecessarily.

Most people would probably prefer to simply dig a hole in the ground and bury their beloved pet themselves (I know I did) but not everyone has a garden, especially in big cities. Even if you do, it’s still not always possible to bury a pet on private property (legally) because you may be in a water protection zone. Burial in public spaces, like parks, is against the law, for obvious reasons, but scattering safe, clean compost isn’t.

Outside of the environmental impacts, traditional options are also lacking in a personal and human touch because they remove you, the pet owner, from the process. We are in this situation because culturally, death makes us uncomfortable. But it is natural and can be beautiful, if we are willing to establish and engage in new rituals that help us connect with and say goodbye to the ones we love.

What is the composting process?

We use a composting process called "hot composting". This fast aerobic process produces compost in a short time ~30 days. It destroys disease pathogens and breaks down the material to produce a very fine compost.