The main goal today is to adopt appropriate measures and develop suitable techniques for removing heavy metals from waste water released from industrial operations. The major constituents in the waste water being generated from the metal finishing processes are cyanides, various metal ions [Fe, Cu, Ni, Ag, Mn, Pb, Zn and Cr(VI)] oils and greases, organic solvents, acids and alkalies. The characteristics of the waste stream from electroplating industries are so toxic and corrosive due to the presence of these heavy metals. The present paper reveals the electroplating industry operations which involve use of heavy metals and toxic chemicals and finally result in increased contamination and load of these metals in their waste stream discharges. The paper focuses on various easily available methods as chemical precipitation, low cost novel adsorption through coconut shell, mango seed and shell, bagasse, waste tea leaves, wood barks and usar soil, membrane processes, which are capable of 90% -100% removal of these metals, bioremoval methods, removal by minerals and removal by newer technique as semiconductor photo catalysis technology.