BIODEGRADATION OF LOW DENSITY POLYETHYLENE BY MICRO- ORGANISMS FROM GARBAGE SOIL

Plastics have been widely used as a packing material in the form of low density polyethylene (LDPE). Continuous accumulation of plastic in the environment can cause threat to humanity and environment. In order to stop the accumulation of plastic and to make the surroundings free from plastic, microbes are isolated from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana areas garbage soil. These microbes are screened by clear zone technique using polythene powder to confirm the degradation activity. Biodegradation of polymer granules by the isolated organisms and it makes physical and structural changes over a period of time after microbial adhesion to the granules. To check the efficiency of biodegradation, weight method was performed under laboratory conditions for 2, 4 and 6 months. Experimental data revealed that Streptomyces sps have highest plastic degradation capacity and it degrades up to 46.7%, this degradation was followed by the Aspergillus niger (26.17%), bacterial species Pseudomonas sps (24.22%) and A. flavus (16.45%) for the period of 6 months. This work revealed that Streptomyces sps plays a vital role in degrading polythene powder and polymer granules.