One of the most persistent pollutants left unchanged in the environment for centuries is plastics. They are resistant to attack by most microorganisms and hence remain non degradable. Their accumulation can be hazardous and can cause various environmental problems. Biodegradation refers to the physical or chemical changes induced in a material by any environmental factor such as light, moisture, heat or wind along with biological agents such as bacteria or fungi. Biodegradation of different types of plastics by different strains of bacteria under various conditions and factors affecting the process have been reviewed in this article. Biodegradation of plastics using non-conventional methods promises a future free of accumulation of commodity plastics used in packaging and commercial polymers, which are the most abundant form of plastic wastes. © 2015, Global Research Online. All rights reserved.