Five Serratia sp. bacterial strains were collected from a water treatment plant and a municipal waste dump and used for studying biodegradn. of polylactide (PIA) and polycaprolactone (PCL) films both under lab. conditions and in the bacteria-vaccinated soil (pot expts.). The tensile strength of the PLA decreased after the treatment. The decompn. of PCL was confirmed by electron microscopy. One of the strains used (Serratia sp. IV-111-4) was particularly active in decompn. of the polymers. This strain had a lower survival rate after lyophilization. Its storage stability was comparable to that of freeze-drying bacteria. The strain can be used as a component of microbiol. prepns. to accelerate degradn. of the polymers.