Selection of Plastic Degradation Indigenous bacteria Isolated from Tamangapa Landfill Macassar City

Abstract

Plastic is the most widely used polymers in all aspects of human life, including food packaging and pharmaco-cosmetics. The complex structures with long and repetitive chains make plastic difficult to be degraded naturally. Consequently, it will accumulate in landfills and the soil. One solution that can be done to overcome this problem is by biodegradation using microorganisms. This study aims to select bacterial isolates that are able to degrade plastics which are isolated from soil samples at Tamangapa landfill in Makassar City. Sampling of soil containing plastic waste used purposive sampling method at 5 different points at Tamangapa Landfill. Isolation of bacteria was conducted using Nutrient Agar (NA) which added 2% Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) and selection of degradation ability was carried out with liquid Mineral Salt media containing HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) and LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene) media. The degradation ability was observed based on the optical density value (OD) at a wavelength of 600 nm and loss of plastic dry weight for 14 days of incubation. The results of isolation and selection obtained 6 bacterial isolates that were able to degrade HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) and LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene) plastics. T7 isolates showed the highest degradation ability of 6% for 8% HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) plastic and LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene) compared to the other five bacteria isolates.