Recent fiscal growth has necessitated diverse industrial processes to meet the growing demands around the world. Toxic chemicals such as micro-pollutants, personal care products, pesticides contaminate the effluents of these industries and find their way into the environment leaving dangerous levels of heavy metals in the aquatic ecosystem. These heavy metals such as arsenic, chromium, lead, mercury, cadmium and nickel bio-accumulate and are very harmful to humans. Several water treatment methods were reviewed from 111 published articles covering a period between 2000-2021 on the progress of Heavy Metal removal from waste water including the use of low cost agro based activated carbon and Bentonite clay as part of “green and sustainable chemistry”.