Amid concern over microplastics, a Maine company creates a kelp-based laundry pod alternative

MAINE PUBLIC • December 10, 2024

Laundry pods may not be biodegradable, green, nor clean. They’re coated with polyvinyl alcohol, a type of soft plastic. While it breaks down in water, that doesn't necessarily mean it disappears. Alexa McGovern may have a solution: replacing the water-soluble plastic with a plastic alternative made of kelp. She founded Dirigo Sea Farms a year ago to develop the kelp bio-refining process, and is working on a patent. Her small lab space in Blue Hill is filled with the briny smell of seaweed. Lab assistant Jack Tennant said the process involves turning the rubbery kelp into a plastic-like film. If all goes to plan, Dirigo Sea Farms' first batch of 10,000 kelp-based laundry pods will be ready for online sales by next spring.