Abstract. Coagulation and flocculation are two of the most common chemical treatment methods used in leachate treatment. Existing coagulants are mainly based on Al and Fe salts. The use of nonchemical based coagulants, especially natural polymers, in leachate treatment has not been thoroughly investigated. Natural coagulants have less harmful effects to human health compared with metal salts. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of ferric chloride (FeCl 3 ) and chitosan as coagulant in removing the turbidity and color from landfill leachate. Leachate was collected from the Matang Landfill site located at Taiping, Perak, Malaysia. When used as the main coagulant in this study, FeCl 3 was able to remove 97.78% of the turbidity and 95.54% of the color of the leachate at an optimum dosage of 3600 mg/L. At a dosage of 60 mg/L, chitosan only removed 23.52% of the turbidity and 14.67% of the color at pH levels of 9 and 4, respectively. The optimum pH value for FeCl 3 was 6. Therefore, FeCl3 is an effective coagulant that can help to remove the colour and turbidity compared to chitosan.