Water contamination is an important concern for our daily life and the earth’s environment, especially terrestrial and marine systems. The largest toxic wastes are released from tannery industries. A greater concentration of heavy metals is found in tannery effluents such as chromium, lead, cadmium, nickel, copper and zinc. However, the cost and performance of effluent treatment are high. Therefore, the effluent is directly released by the tannery industries to water reservoirs and agricultural areas. Algal technology is a sustainable method to remove heavy metals and other contaminants released from the tannery industries. Algal and plant-based effluent treatment is more effective and highly economical. The microalgae are used to remove hazardous chemicals and heavy metals from effluent contaminated soil. This chapter provides the complete information about the advantages of using microalgae and plant-based phytoremediation for the decontamination of effluents released from tannery industries. © 2023 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.