(CNN) Lawmakers in Washington state passed a bill Friday that would allow human remains to be composted.

If Gov. Jay Inslee signs Senate Bill 5001 into law, it will take effect May 1, 2020.

Right now, if a person dies in Washington, the body can only be cremated or buried, according to the bill's sponsor, state Sen. Jamie Pedersen . The bill gives people a third option for disposing of human remains: recomposition.

The process of recomposition essentially turns dead bodies into soil, a practice colloquially known as "human composting." According to the bill's language, this is the practice of "contained, accelerated conversion of human remains to soil."

"It's about time we apply some technology, allow some technology, to be applied to this universal human experience both because we think that people should have the freedom to determine for themselves how they'd like their body to be disposed of and also because we have learned over time that there are some more environmentally friendly and safe ways of disposing of human remains," Pedersen said in February.

Having already passed the Senate, Sen. Jamie Pedersen's SB 5001 -- a less expensive way of dealing with human remains that is better for the environment -- is moving quickly through the House. #waleg pic.twitter.com/W0HgLkwCPK — WA Senate Democrats (@WASenDemocrats) February 22, 2019

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