(US5401413-A)      Biodegradable organic wastes are biodegraded by (A) applying (suitably vegetable) liposomes having vesicles of dia. 20-80 nm to the waste site in presence of organic waste consuming microorganisms, suitably e.g. Arthrobacter sp. Nocardia sp. Candida sp. to supply essential nutrients for the growth of the microorganisms and (B) concomitantly increasing the polarity, wettability and availability of organic waste for enhanced bacterial interaction.    The organic waste is pref. crude or refined hydrocarbons, light or heavy crude oil, petrol, oil spills on water, contaminated soil. Phospholipid liposomes are used.    USE/ADVANTAGE -   For enhancing biodegradation and/or recovering (hazardous) hydrocarbon waste. A low cost, efficient degradation is achieved without detrimental effect to the environment.    (EP499441-B1)      A method for enhancing the biodegradation of biodegradable organic and lipophilic wastes comprises applying liposomes to an organic waste site in which the liposomes supply essential nutrients for microbial growth while concomitantly modifying the polarity and wettability of the waste and increasing its availability for enhanced microbial interaction with it.    Also claimed is a method of cleaning a site contaminated with the biodegradable wastes and a compsn. for enhancing the biodegradation.    Pref. the organic waste is selected from crude and refined hydrocarbons (esp. crude oil, gasoline etc.) or oil spill on water, contaminated soil, metal or plastic surface fouled with the waste, grease, synthetic or natural lipids or chlorinated hydrocarbon. Pref. the compsn. comprises a combination of organic waste consuming microorganisms and the liposomes as specified.    USE/ADVANTAGE -   Useful for enhanced recovery and/or biodegradation of hydrocarbons, including the clean-up of hazardous hydrocarbon wastes. The method enables enhanced biodegradation of oil from an underground source and for removal of deposited heavy hydrocarbonacous materials from well bores and tubing strings and for readily cleaning up sites contaminated with hydrocarbons both on land and at sea which can be carried out efficiently without effecting the ecology and at relatively low cost