30 micron polythene % reduction in weight (mg) following sixteen weeks incubation with fungal and bacterial isolates at 28°C and 37 °C respectively.

<p>A negative mean indicates there was a weight gain instead of loss.</p

Percentage sequence similarity of bacterial isolates with their closest taxonomic relatives in NCBI GenBank.

<p>Percentage sequence similarity of bacterial isolates with their closest taxonomic relatives in NCBI GenBank.</p

% reduction in mean weight of 40 micron polyethylene sheets after sixteen weeks incubation with fungal and bacterial inoculums at 28 °C and 37°Crespectively.

<p>Each mean weight represents the average of five sample means ± SE. Means with same letters are not significantly different using Fisher’s Protected Least Significant test at (P<0.05).</p

FT-IR spectra of polyethylene sheet from sample B1, 1 incubated with bacterial inoculum of <i>Pseudomonas putida</i> strain B1, 1a (MG645383) and the control incubated at 37 °C for sixteen weeks.

<p>FT-IR spectra of polyethylene sheet from sample B1, 1 incubated with bacterial inoculum of <i>Pseudomonas putida</i> strain B1, 1a (MG645383) and the control incubated at 37 °C for sixteen weeks.</p

FT-IR spectra of polyethylene sheet from sample B,4,1 with bacterial inoculum of <i>Bacillus cereus</i> strain A1, a (MG645253) and the control incubated at 37 °C for sixteen weeks.

<p>FT-IR spectra of polyethylene sheet from sample B,4,1 with bacterial inoculum of <i>Bacillus cereus</i> strain A1, a (MG645253) and the control incubated at 37 °C for sixteen weeks.</p

FT-IR spectra of polyethylene sheet from sample E4, 1 with fungal inoculum of <i>Aspergillus nidulans</i> strain E4,1(MG779504) and the control incubated at 28 °C for sixteen weeks.

<p>FT-IR spectra of polyethylene sheet from sample E4, 1 with fungal inoculum of <i>Aspergillus nidulans</i> strain E4,1(MG779504) and the control incubated at 28 °C for sixteen weeks.</p

% reduction in mean weight of the 30 micron polyethylene sheets after sixteen weeks incubation with fungal and bacterial inoculums at 28 °C and 37°C respectively.

<p>Each mean weight represents the average of five sample means± SE. Means with same letters are not significantly different using Fisher’s Protected Least Significant test at (P<0.05).</p

Compounds identified after the culture media from the fungal incubation of sample A5, 2 for 16 weeks was subjected to GC-MS.

<p>Compounds identified after the culture media from the fungal incubation of sample A5, 2 for 16 weeks was subjected to GC-MS.</p

% mean weight reduction of the 30 micron polyethylene sheet incubated with 25 bacterial sub-samples which were found to contain specific bacterial isolates after incubation at 37 °C for sixteen weeks.

<p>Each mean weight represents the average of three replicates ± SE.</p

Microscopic examination outcomes from lactophenol blue staining of <i>Aspergillus fumigatus</i> strain B2, 2 (MG779513) with a and b indicating erect conidia and aerial conidiophores.

<p>The conidiophores are branched with bottle-shaped phialides at the tip of the conidiophores producing spores while d is a photo of 5-day old fungal growth. c has a simple conidiophore terminated by flask shaped phialides where spores are produced in chains at the tip end characteristic of genus <i>Penicillium</i>.</p