The present study was conducted to evaluate the degradative potential of indigenous bacterial isolates for Reactive Blue 221. The two strains proficient in decolorization (>80%) were isolated from a waste disposal site by enrichment technique. Under optimized conditions, Pseudomonas sp. BDS 2 displayed efficient decolorization activity of 94.4% in Minimal Salt Medium supplemented with 50 mg/l of RB 221 after 96 h of incubations, whereas 88.5% of color was removed by Alcaligenes sp. BDS 9 by the end of 112 h. UV-Visible and FTIR spectroscopy confirmed that in the case of Pseudomonas sp. BDS 2 and Alcaligenes sp. BDS 9, decolorization was the ultimate consequence of biodegradation and adsorption, respectively. Toxicological studies revealed the nontoxic nature of degradative metabolites.