Does *E. coli Dh5 Alpha* strain has the ability to degrade polyethylene?
I am not aware of any wild E.coli strains that have been described to have the ability to degrade polyethylene. However, work to equip E.coli DH5α with the ability to degrade polyethylene, by means of transformation, has been done in the laboratory (Mahalakshmi 2012, Danso et al 2018)

Microorganisms that can be found in the wild/nature that do have the ability to break down polyethylene include (Source: article):


Pseudomonas spp
Bacillus spp
Staphylococcus spp
Aspergillus nidulans
Aspergillus flavus
Streptomyces spp